Department for Transport

Public Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to co-ordinate steps to enhance public transport and accelerate the transition to ultra-low emission vehicles.

Andrew Jones: We have an ambitious programme of improvement for public transport. The Government is investing more than £38 billion in Network Rail to deliver the biggest programme of railway modernisation since the Victorian times, and backing Transport for the North and Midlands Connect to enable cities and regions. We are also supporting technology upgrades on transport networks to meet the expectations of the digital age and to deliver extra capacity.We want nearly all cars and vans to be zero emission by 2050 and have committed more than £600 million between 2015 and 2020 to this goal, which is itself a substantial increase in funding compared to the previous Parliament. This investment will bring improvements to public transport as well. We have allocated £30m to support low emission buses, which will improve urban air quality, reduce running costs, and provide smoother more reliable journeys for passengers. We are supporting the installation of electric vehicle chargepoints at public transport hubs. 80 chargepoints have already been installed at train stations, and the £40m Go Ultra Low City Scheme includes plans for many more at strategic urban locations, such as park-and-ride sites, as well as measures to encourage EV car clubs. The low emission vehicle industry already supports over 18,000 UK jobs and it is a key element of our ambitions for a low carbon, high tech, high skills economy.

Bus Services: Bicycles

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11881, if he will discuss with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency the reasons for that agency not approving the pilot scheme for bike racks on the front of buses in Bath in 2015.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) rejected the pilot scheme because the design created significant additional hazards from the original bus design. These included both the structure of the bicycle rack when folded and deployed, projections of any bicycle on the rack, and a significant reduction of vision for the driver to the nearside front with a bicycle on the rack. These features were considered to increase significantly the likelihood of accidents and potential severity of pedestrian injury.

Aviation: South China Sea

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is aware of any occasion since 2010 on which the government of the People's Republic of China has sought to limit or exclude civilian aircraft registered in the UK from exercising freedom of navigation or passage rights over disputed areas of the South China Sea by that government.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport is not aware of any occasion since 2010 on which the government of the People's Republic of China has sought to limit or exclude civilian aircraft registered in the UK from flying over any area of the South China Sea.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to section 3.3 of his recently published British Road Safety Statement, how the incentive element of local roads maintenance funding will operate.

Andrew Jones: Well-planned maintenance to prevent potholes and other defects forming on the roads is vital. Councils that do this well get better value for every pound spent and improve their customer satisfaction. So, from 2016/17, this Government is introducing incentive funding to help encourage local highway authorities to manage their road networks better and achieve greater efficiencies. I hope we reach a point where, through efficiencies and collaboration, every highway authority receives the maximum level of funding available.The Department for Transport is providing record funding of over £6.1 billion funding to local highway authorities in England between 2015 and 2021 for local highways maintenance.This is additional to the funding of over £4.7 billion the Government provided to local highway authorities between 2010 and 2015 for highways maintenance. Between 2010 to 2015 the maintenance funding was 27% or £1billion higher than in the previous five years.

Manchester Airport: Railways

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20950, which routes would offer greater benefits from the additional paths referred to in that answer than the proposal from Arriva Trains Wales.

Claire Perry: The successful bidder for the new Northern franchise has proposed new direct links between Manchester Airport and Bradford (via Rochdale, Halifax and the Calder Valley), and between Manchester Airport and Liverpool (via Warrington Central). It will be for the Office of Rail and Road to determine the allocation of scarce capacity to/from Manchester Airport between the competing potential uses.

Railways: Franchises

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20950, how many other rail franchises his Department has commented on to the Office of Rail and Road in relation to track access when new additional paths are created.

Claire Perry: The Department does on occasion offer comments to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on track access applications that could affect the Department’s franchised train operations, in order to ensure that the ORR is aware of the potential implications of such applications for the Department’s financial and policy position. During the course of 2015 the Department offered comments in response to applications from Arriva Trains Wales, Crossrail (MTR), Hull Trains, Grand Central, Alliance Rail (GNWR) & (GNER) and Heathrow Express.

Electric Vehicles: Vans

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what schemes are available to commercial drivers under the plug-in van grant scheme to purchase a home charge and charge point at work.

Andrew Jones: The Government offers grant funding to offset some of the upfront cost of the purchase and installation of dedicated domestic chargepoints to drivers of plug-in vehicles under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). This is available for any van or car eligible for the Plug-in Van and Car Grants. The scheme is available to motorists who are the registered keeper, lessee or have primary use of an eligible electric vehicle and provides up to 75% off the total capital costs of the chargepoint and associated installation costs. The grant is currently capped at £700 including VAT and this is reducing to £500 from 1 March 2016.The Government does not presently have any similar schemes to assist with the cost of chargepoints in the workplace. This is because our focus so far has been on supporting the installation of chargepoints at motorists’ homes and in public places. However, at the last Spending Review in November last year, we announced that we will spend more than £600 million between 2015 and 2020 to support the uptake and manufacturing of ultra low emission vehicles in the UK. Further details of how this funding will be used – including for provision of charging infrastructure – will be announced in due course.

Pedestrian Crossings

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many more modern, safer pedestrian crossings he expects to be introduced as a consequence of the revision in 2014 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions.

Andrew Jones: Provision of pedestrian crossings is the responsibility of local traffic authorities. While the Department provides advice on designing crossings, decisions on what type to provide are for local authorities to make, taking into account local circumstances such as road layout, pedestrian numbers and traffic speeds.This will remain the case when the revision of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) comes into force, planned for Spring this year. However, I would note that Pelican crossings are not included in the new TSRGD, meaning that it will not be possible to install any new ones after the new regulations come into force. Any pelican crossings already in place can remain until the equipment reaches the end of its life.

Birmingham-Bristol Railway Line

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Birmingham to Bristol rail line to be electrified.

Claire Perry: Electrification of the railway line between Birmingham and Bristol is one of the schemes under consideration by Network Rail as part of the industry electrification strategy. We expect Network rail to publish a draft strategy for consultation in early 2016.

Department for Transport: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions his Department has been notified by external consultants or other third parties of breaches by employees or subcontractors of those consultants of document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials in each of the last two years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not hold a comprehensive central record of the information requested. From records in the central Department and each of its executive agencies, the following number of breaches were notified by external consultants or other third parties:2014 – 32015 – 5

Driving: Older People

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to promote safety among older drivers; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The crucial factor for road safety is not a driver’s age, but their physical and mental fitness to drive. The current licensing arrangements support road safety without penalising those older drivers who remain fit and competent to drive.When drivers aged 70 and over renew their licences, they must declare any medical condition that could affect their fitness to drive and confirm that they meet the legal eyesight standards. Renewals are at three-yearly intervals and provide a timely reminder for drivers to consider their health in the context of driving.Additionally, all drivers have an ongoing duty to inform the DVLA at any time of the onset or worsening of a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive safely. When a driver declares a medical condition, the DVLA will investigate their ongoing fitness to hold a driving licence.The Department has provided grant funding to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to develop a dedicated older drivers website that will provide information to drivers and their families on driving safely. The website should go live within the next couple of weeks.We will consider the Older Driver forums review of older driver safety when it is published, subject to priorities set out in the British Road Safety Statement.

Cycling: Safety

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's British Road Safety Statement, published in December 2015, Cm 9175, when he plans to consult on legislative changes to improve urban cycle safety by ensuring that sideguards and rear under-run devices are not removed from HGVs but remain permanently fitted.

Andrew Jones: The Department plans to consult on amendments to the Construction and Use Regulations in the second half of 2016.

Driving: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he had made of the progress in introducing graduated licensing for drivers in Northern Ireland; and what representations he has received on that matter.

Andrew Jones: Road traffic legislation is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly, including road user licensing. However, Northern Ireland officials have kept Department for Transport officials apprised of their plans and legislation.From time to time the Department receives representations from stakeholders regarding graduated driver licensing, both in general and relating to Northern Ireland, including stakeholders in the insurance industry.We are focusing our efforts on encouraging learner drivers to do more practice in a wider range of driving conditions, on ensuring that the driving test assesses the skills needed for today’s roads and vehicles and those of the future, and on identifying the most promising behavioural, educational and technological interventions that can reduce young driver casualties.

Dangerous Driving

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what tests a person convicted of death by careless or dangerous driving is required to undertake being allowed to drive again.

Andrew Jones: If a person is convicted by the Courts of death by careless or dangerous driving and disqualified he/she will need to retake a theory test and an extended driving test in order to get their full driving licence back. An extended driving test must last no less than 60 minutes.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what annual fee his Department will pay to (a) Ernst and Young in the UK, (b) Arup and (c) Interfleet for their advice to him on fulfilling his duties under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993; and for what period those companies are contracted to provide him such advice.

Claire Perry: Following a successful procurement competition using the new STAR (Specialist Technical Advice for Rail) Framework Agreement, the Department has appointed a partnership comprising Arup, SNC-Lavalin Transport Advisory (InterFleet), and EY to provide services to support the Secretary of State in connection with his duties under Section 30 of the Railways Act.The contract is for 2 years and commenced in November 2015. It has an optional extension of 12 months which is exercisable at the Department’s discretion. The fees payable to the partnership are capped at £616k (excluding VAT) for the two years of the contract. In addition to core contractual commitments, further fees are payable at agreed daily rates for other services which include, but are not limited to, the full mobilisation of a public sector train operator.Following the successful award of the East Coast franchise to Virgin East Coast last year, it was not a good use of taxpayers’ money to maintain DoR’s full corporate structure on a ‘just in case’ basis. We have scaled back Directly Operated Railways operations and brought it in-house with the Department for Transport.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department's roads reform programme evaluation, An overarching, monitoring and evaluation framework, published in March 2015, has made in evaluating the effectiveness of the roads reform programme.

Andrew Jones: In March 2015 the Department published an overarching monitoring and evaluation framework for the Roads Reform Programme. This document explained that the programme evaluation will draw upon evidence generated by Highways England, the Office of Rail and Road, and Transport Focus, complementing this evidence with additional data collection where required.Since publishing this framework, a range of relevant evidence has been produced, such as the National road users’ satisfaction survey 2014-15 and two publications on Road users’ priorities for improvement covering car and van drivers and motorcyclists, and HGV drivers, respectively. The Department is planning to commission a suitably qualified supplier shortly to begin to use this evidence in performing an evaluation of the Roads Reform Programme.

Railways: Tickets

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's scoping study for evaluating the implementation of the South East Flexible Ticketing Programme.

Claire Perry: The Evaluation Scoping Report for the South East Flexible Ticketing Programme was commissioned solely to inform the formulation and development of government policy. As such a copy will not be placed in the Library.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the benefits realisation map and profile for each rail franchise let by his Department in the last Parliament.

Claire Perry: There were five franchises let in the last Parliament. The map and profile for four of these franchises are freely available online through the Government’s website.As it would be resource intensive to produce copies of interactive maps, the relevant website addresses are:First Great Western franchise: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/first-great-western/index.htmlEast Coast: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/east-coast/Essex Thameside: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/essex-thameside/Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Franchise: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/tsgn/

Railways: Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which external agency is carrying out his Department's assessment of the demand and capacity outcomes of HLOS1; what the cost is to his Department of that assessment; and what progress his Department has made on developing options for evaluating the benefits of HLOS2.

Claire Perry: The assessment of demand and capacity outcomes for HLOS1 (2009-14) is being undertaken in-house by the Department based on information provided by the rail industry. The cost is primarily the use of existing staff. The benefits of HLOS2 (2014-19) are being appraised on a project by project basis at present, with wider data also being gathered for a review when the five year investment period has concluded in 2019.

Private Roads

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet the hon. Member for Kettering and other interested parties to discuss how an action plan might be drawn up to speed up the adoption  by local highways authorities of new residential roads.

Andrew Jones: I share my honourable colleague’s concern over the need to avoid unnecessary steps that might hold up the adoption of suitable roads into the public highway. I would be very happy to arrange for him and other interested colleagues to meet my Ministerial team.

Roads: Safety

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet his counterparts in the devolved administrations to ensure that best practice on reducing the numbers of road deaths across the UK is shared.

Andrew Jones: I am willing to meet my counterparts in the devolved administrations if they wish. My officials have regular meetings with representatives from the devolved administrations to share best practice and I have had correspondence on specific areas of concern.

Transport: Per Capita Costs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the capital spend on transport was per head of population in (a)  Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: Figures on transport capital spend per head of population can be derived for the North West and England from the HM Treasury Country and Regional Analysis (CRA).Data on spend per head on transport is not available at the level of Ellesmere Port and Neston Constituency.

Cross Country Railway Line

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure value for money for passengers travelling on the Cross Country rail franchise.

Claire Perry: I completely understand the concerns about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets. That is why we have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (RPI) for two years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. We are helping hardworking people with the cost of transport. We’ve put a stop to increases in regulated fares above inflation until 2020. This will save theaverageseason ticket holder £425 in this Parliament and meansearnings growth will outstrip rail fare increases for first time in a decade.

Railways: South East

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail links in the South East.

Claire Perry: As part of our Rail Investment Strategy, the Government is investing over £700 million on infrastructure in the most congested routes in London and the South East between 2014-2019, in addition to delivering the £14.8bn Crossrail and £6.5bn Thameslink projects, which will transform east-west and north-south travel across the region.Further, our franchising programme is delivering better services. For example, bidders in the East Anglia competition will be required to deliver faster services on the Great Eastern Main Line.

Public Transport: Fares

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the cost of bus and rail travel.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have capped regulated rail fares at the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI) for two years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament.The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding setting the level of fares, is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators.

Railways: Tickets

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on its plans to reform ticketing arrangements for rail passengers.

Claire Perry: We are completely committed to the reform of ticketing arrangements for rail passengers as set out in our Manifesto. We want to accelerate progress, support programmes where necessary and challenge operators to do more. A copy of the speech I made on this subject on Tuesday can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-death-of-the-tangerine-ticket

Railways: Electrification

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on its rail electrification programme.

Claire Perry: The first ever electric trains are now running between Liverpool and Manchester, and Liverpool and Wigan, and the Farnworth tunnel is now open, further proof of this Government’s commitment to electrification – part of the biggest rail investment since Victorian times.

Railways: Electrification

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on its rail electrification programme

Claire Perry: The first ever electric trains are now running between Liverpool and Manchester, and Liverpool and Wigan, and the Farnworth tunnel is now open, further proof of this Government’s commitment to electrification – part of the biggest rail investment since Victorian times.In addition, the honourable gentleman’s constituents are already benefitting from electric trains running from Manchester Victoria, on the edge of his constituency, running into Liverpool. Network Rail’s £44m restoration of Manchester Victoria has completely transformed this station into a modern and exciting gateway to the city – part of more than £1 billion of investment in the north of England.

Fuel Cells: Hydrogen

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is giving to encourage the use of hydrogen fuel cells in transport.

Andrew Jones: Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles have the potential to play an important role in decarbonising road transport, alongside battery electric vehicles. Government began work with industry in 2012, in the “UK H2 Mobility” programme, to develop a roadmap on hydrogen for transport.In March last year we announced £6.6m investment in 12 initial hydrogen refuelling stations. We are working with stakeholders on options to support the wider roll-out of hydrogen in transport.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Floods: Compensation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22026, what proportion of the £47 million paid to local authorities under the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme was subsequently paid by local authorities to households which were not entitled to flood compensation payments.

James Wharton: Local authorities are responsible for the administration and delivery of the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme.They determine how to use the money to best meet local need and ensure value for money. My Department does not collect detailed information on the payments that have been made through the Scheme. However, officials are aware that of more that 15,000 payments made to households, fewer than 50 have been found to be incorrect. Those have been returned to the local authority in question.

Homelessness

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward plans to (a) require all local authorities to measure the level of single non-priority homelessness in their areas and (b) collate that data in a national database.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of non-priority single homeless people in the UK in each year since 2010-11.

Mr Marcus Jones: Information on homeless households not in priority need is already collected and published in table 770 of the homelessness live tables which can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessnessNo information is collected on the household type of households found to be not in priority need.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Syria: Military Intervention

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will disclose a summary of his Department's legal advice to the (a) Joint Committee on Human Rights and (b) Intelligence and Security Committee relevant to the drone strike that killed Reyaad Khan on 21 August 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer on this subject given to him by the Prime Minister on 25 January 2016, UIN 23433.

Israel: Christianity

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Embassy in Israel has taken to monitor attacks on Christian places of worship.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is in regular contact with representatives of churches on a range of issues, including to discuss concern about attacks on places of worship. The last attack occurred on 17 January 2016 where the Dormition Abbey compound of the Orthodox Church in the Old City of Jerusalem was vandalised with anti-Christian slogans. The ‘Tag Meir’ organisation has listed 44 cases of vandalism and arson on Christian and Muslim places of worship in Israel and the West Bank since December 2009.

Nuclear Disarmament

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proposal the Government plans to put to the second UN open-ended working group on nuclear disarmament.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK and the four other Non-Proliferation Treaty Nuclear Weapons States voted against the Resolution “Taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations” in the UN General Assembly First Committee which established an Open Ended Working Group. The Government believes that productive results can only be ensured through a consensus-based approach that takes into account the wider global security environment.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions his Department has been notified by external consultants or other third parties of breaches by employees or subcontractors of those consultants of document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials in each of the last two years.

Mr David Lidington: Our records show 57 breaches by commercial third party suppliers in handling secure materials for the years in question. This is broken down by year as follows:2014/15 - 472015/16 - 10The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has rigorous formal procedures for reporting, investigating and monitoring any incidents involving the loss or compromise of sensitive data for which it is responsible. Our policies and procedures are designed to ensure that we are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and HMG’s Security Policy Framework. Responsibility for this compliance is shared with Suppliers through appropriate contract terms and conditions.

Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade: Hanoi

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Ministers and staff of his Department will be attending the Hanoi Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in November 2016; and what the projected cost of that attendance will be in (a) staff salaries, (b) travel and (c) other costs.

James Duddridge: I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr Stewart) on 22 January to question number 23306.

South China Sea

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made a formal request for the Government of the People's Republic of China to state the legal basis for its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK has consistently called on all parties to clarify the legal basis for their claims in the South China Sea. We continue to urge all parties to pursue their claims peacefully in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the situation in the South China Sea with China during his recent visit to Beijing on 5 January.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the case of the Hares Boys; what discussions he has had with the Israeli authorities on that case; and what information he holds on the current situation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received a number of parliamentary questions from Members of the House of Commons, letters from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents and letters and emails from members of the public on the case of the Hares Boys.An official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv met Chief Military Prosecutor, Maurice Hirsch, on 23 November to raise our concerns over this case in addition to our broader concerns about Israel’s child detention policy. We were informed by the Chief Military Prosecutor that the Hares boys agreed to a plea bargain resulting in their imprisonment for 15 years. We continue to monitor developments in the case of the Hares boys and raise the issue with the Israeli authorities.

Iran: Saudi Arabia

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22858, on the basis of the evidence seen by the Government, what assessment he has made of who was responsible for the damage to the Iranian Embassy in Sana'a.

Mr Philip Hammond: It is important to determine the facts of any incident. From current evidence we have seen, it does not appear that a Saudi airstrike hit the Iranian Embassy. We are continuing to work with all parties to de-escalate regional tensions.

Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the Human Rights and Democracy Report 2015.

Mr Philip Hammond: The FCO plans to publish the 2015 Human Rights and Democracy Report in April 2016.

Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to use the criteria for identifying human rights countries of concern first published in the 2012 annual human rights and democracy report in the next edition of that report.

Mr Philip Hammond: For the 2015 Annual Human Rights Report, the FCO is applying the following criteria in identifying human rights priority countries: • the human rights situation in the country • evidence of a trajectory of change • the extent of the FCO’s work on human rights in that country.

Burundi: Armed Conflict

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Burundian counterparts on its government (a) halting violence involving its security forces, (b) engaging in dialogue with opponents and (c) accepting the presence of 5,000 African Union peacekeepers within its borders; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: The UK is playing a lead role in building a single, consistent international response to the crisis in Burundi. In mid-December, I visited Burundi and urged the Burundian Government in the strongest terms to take steps to end the violence that has gripped the country. I stressed that only an inclusive dialogue would foster the conditions for the people of Burundi to be able to live their lives in safety and security. On 5 January I wrote to the Minister of External Relations and International Cooperation, Alain Nyamitwe, urging him to do everything in his power to ensure that his government attends, without preconditions, the next round of the Inter Burundi Dialogue in Arusha. At the African Union Summit this week I will urge the Burundian Government to accept the deployment of troops being offered by the African Union to protect civilians, re-establish security and create the conditions on the ground for reconciliation to take place. I also regularly raise the issue of Burundi with Foreign Ministers and Envoys in the region, to encourage a regional response to the crisis.

British Overseas Territories: Taxation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the written statement by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 15 December 2015, HLWS393, what elements constitute a similarly effective system for tax information exchange and company beneficial ownership information.

James Duddridge: We have asked the Overseas Territories to implement either a central register of company beneficial ownership, or a similarly effective system, which meets the following criteria:a) UK law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards;b) These competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; andc) Companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is underway.We are continuing our dialogue with the Overseas Territories and have offered technical support as they develop their proposals.The Overseas Territories have shown their commitment to tax information exchange by being early adopters of the new OECD global standard on tax transparency with the first exchange of data taking place in 2017. They have also had the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance on Tax Matters extended to them.

Human Rights

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reason the county of concern category was removed from his Department's annual human rights report.

Mr David Lidington: From 2016, we will term the countries in the FCO’s Annual Human Rights Report “Human Rights Priority Countries” rather than “Countries of Concern”. This change is a better reflection of the new criteria underpinning our country reporting, which were amended following feedback from external stakeholders, including the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Select Committee. The term “Human Rights Priority Countries” is a better indication of the FCO’s proactive and practical engagement on human rights in the priority countries that we work in.

Goa: EU Nationals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has been made with his EU counterparts on resolving the issue of the confiscation of property held by EU nationals in Goa.

Mr Hugo Swire: Joint lobbying with EU counterparts has not been pursued because those affected are predominately UK nationals. Our High Commission has consistently lobbied the Goan government and local authorities on the main issues relating to property disputes involving British nationals. This has lead to contact between the UK nationals in the Goa Property Working Group and officials working for the Goa Property Committee, the relevant Indian government body.

Goa: British Nationals Abroad

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold further discussions with the Indian government on the confiscation of property held by UK nationals in Goa.

Mr Hugo Swire: All confiscation orders are issued following an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and can be appealed. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not able to interfere in local investigations. However, we continue to identify opportunities to raise property issues at the appropriate levels. As an example, in December, our Acting High Commissioner to India met the Chairman of the Goa Property Working Group as well as the Goa Chief Minister. Our offices in New Delhi, Mumbai and Goa have facilitated contact between the UK nationals in the Goa Property Working Group and officials working for the Goa Property Committee, the relevant Indian government body. The Property Working Group have reported significant progress has been made. We continue to assist them through our lobbying.

Capital Punishment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the blog item on his Department's website, entitled FCO - Abolition of the death penalty remains a high priority, published on 4 August 2015, which countries have caused concern by their increased use of the death penalty.

Mr Philip Hammond: The long-term trend is for the number of executions carried out and the number of states continuing to execute, to reduce each year. The Government’s hope and expectation is that this trend will continue. It is therefore a matter of concern when states which have refrained from executing for some years revert to use of the death penalty. One such country is Pakistan, which lifted its seven year moratorium on executions in 2014 following the attack on a school in Peshawar. Since then, Pakistan has executed an estimated 340 people. Our comprehensive list of countries of concern can be found in the 2014 Annual Human Rights Report, which includes our concerns with countries such as Saudi Arabia and their use of the death penalty. We continue to oppose its use in all forms, in all countries.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Parental Pay: Adoption

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many claims for statutory shared parental pay have been linked to adoption leave since 1 April 2015.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total number of claims for statutory shared parental pay has been since 1 April 2015.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average number of weeks is for which statutory shared parental pay has been claimed since 1 April 2015.

Nick Boles: The Government does not yet have any information on the take up of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. Information for the 2015-16 tax year will be available from May 2016, although it will also include claims for Additional Statutory Paternity Pay. Information is not held on the number of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay that are linked to adoption leave.

Skills Funding Agency: Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the National Apprenticeship Service will continue to be (a) administered and (b) funded through the Skills Funding Agency in 2016-17.

Nick Boles: The National Apprenticeship Service is part of the Skills Funding Agency. We plan for this to continue to be the case in 2016-17.

Freight: Shipping

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what value of freight was imported by sea into the UK in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: Data on the value of freight that was imported by sea into the UK in each of the last five years is available from Eurostat’s Comext database (“EXTRA-EU Trade since 1999 by mode of transport”). This data covers only UK imports by sea from the Non-EU countries. Data by mode of transport for intra-EU trade is not available in value terms.

Small Businesses: Exports

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to reduce export costs for businesses to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to increase their levels of exports.

Anna Soubry: Increasing exports is a key factor in the Government’s long-term economic plan. Government departments are working together to support UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities and to create a strong business environment that allows UK businesses to flourish both at home and overseas.My noble Friend Lord Maude of Horsham made a statement to the House on Tuesday 19th January on the Government’s strategy to support Trade. This outlines a new, whole-of-government approach to expanding the number of exporters and the value they generate for the British economy. The aim is to make it easier for small business to access this support through better digital platforms, working more closely with partners and making sure services match the needs of business.In addition, the cross-Government ‘One Government at the Border’ (OG@B) will focus on simplifying the experience of moving goods in and out of the UK, especially for those businesses which are smaller and new to exporting.The UK is currently ranked by the World Economic Forum and the World Bank within the top 10 countries in the world for ease of doing business. The British Business Bank offers £2.4bn of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses. Included within this is the Start-Up Loans programme, which has provided over 35,000 loans worth over £192 million. We have saved businesses £10 billion of red tape and we have extended small business rate relief.The Government will continue to back small firms to grow at home and overseas and to create jobs by providing an environment in which they can thrive. This means cutting a further £10 billion of red tape, extending business rates relief, tackling late payment culture and improving access to finance. Through these and other support mechanisms the Government is committed to helping an additional 100,000 companies export successfully by 2020 compared to 2010.

Motor Vehicles: Trade Competitiveness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of its policies on the automotive sector on the competitiveness of that sector.

Anna Soubry: The Government works closely with the automotive industry, in particular through the Automotive Council, on competitiveness issues affecting the sector. In November 2015, the Automotive Council published an assessment of the UK’s international competitiveness on their website. UK automotive sector productivity is the highest in Europe compared to other major European producers. Car production reached a 10-year high in 2015 at 1.59 million vehicles, with almost 80% of these exported to over 100 countries. In addition, the value of UK sourced components by vehicle manufacturers has increased from 36% in 2011 to 41% in 2015. The sector is at the forefront in the design and use of high quality Apprenticeships to ensure the skilled workforce required to support future growth.

Small Businesses: Billing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage larger companies to make payments to small and medium-sized enterprises on time.

Anna Soubry: The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the private sector.The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for a new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.

Skills Funding Agency: Contracts

Mr Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what contingency plans the Skills Funding Agency has in place to launch tenders for training contracts in 2017 open to all training providers and including current sub-contractors in the event of the introduction of the European Union rule that contracts must be fairly awarded in open tendering processes; and what discussions the Government has had with representatives of the EU on this matter.

Nick Boles: The Skills Funding Agency is aware of the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations which came into force in February 2015 and has processes in place to ensure that it complies with the requirements of the Regulations when procuring education and training services.

New Businesses: Brighton

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Start-up loans the Government has issued in Brighton and Hove since that scheme started.

Anna Soubry: To date, 230 Start-Up loans have been issued in Brighton and Hove, totalling over £1.1million.

New Businesses: Brighton

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses in Brighton and Hove which received a loan from the Start-up loans scheme are still in operation.

Anna Soubry: The Start Up Loans Company tracks the repayment performance of each loan rather than the status of each business created. However, it does undertake regular research and evaluation which shows that, for the programme as a whole, 80% of the businesses created continue to trade into the second year following their founder’s receipt of a Start-Up Loan.

New Businesses: Brighton

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much was awarded to businesses in Brighton and Hove under the Government Start-Up Loans scheme; and how much of that has been repaid to date.

Anna Soubry: To date over £1.1million has been lent through Start-Up Loans issued in Brighton and Hove. Of this, over £268,000 has been repaid.

Manufacturing Advisory Service

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons the Government took the decision to close the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Anna Soubry: As part of the Spending Review settlement, we decided to wind down the national delivery of the Business Growth Service (BGS) including the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).The BGS used substantial taxpayer resources, £85 million a year, which was distributed through a network of contractors and subcontractors. When it did eventually reach businesses, businesses would have to provide half the cost of advice themselves, despite the substantial taxpayer funding being provided.The Spending Review protected our economic security by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. The most important way we can help manufacturers is to continue to secure a strong, growing economy.Where we do use taxpayers money, we have targeted it where it will help businesses the most.We have extended the doubling of Small Business Rate Relief by another year, meaning 405,000 small businesses will pay no rates at all while another 200,000 small businesses will pay reduced rates. Next year we’ll be extending the Employment Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000, meaning thousands of small businesses will pay no jobs tax.We’re providing further funding to Growth Hubs to help businesses at the local level and away from Whitehall.We continue supporting our world leading research-led and advanced manufacturing sectors such as life sciences, defence, aerospace, automotive and chemicals to grow, export, and attract and retain inward investment. We are supporting industry with an extra £1 billion in aerospace and automotive R&D and investing £6.9 billion in the UK’s research infrastructure.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 16005, what steps her Department is taking to promote water and sanitation within the (a) agriculture, (b) social protection and (c) education programme areas to tackle malnutrition.

Mr Nick Hurd: In total, DFID reached over 62 million people with water, sanitation and/or hygiene in the five years to 2014/15. We are currently formulating our new portfolio to deliver on the UK government’s commitment to help a further 60 million people get access to clean water and sanitation by 2020. All DFID nutrition programmes are based on an assessment of the causes of malnutrition, including the role that lack of clean water and poor sanitation and hygiene plays in making children ill and therefore increasing risk of malnutrition.DFID’s approach on agriculture for the coming years is set out in detail in the new DFID Conceptual Framework on Agriculture (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfids-conceptual-framework-on-agriculture). The Conceptual Framework focusses on the role of agriculture in supporting inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, food and nutrition security and environmentally sustainable food production. This addresses key considerations on water.DFID supports a range of social protection programmes, with a strong focus on social transfers. The transfers are non-contributory, regular and predictable grants to households or individuals, in cash or in-kind. They help poor and vulnerable people to increase their food consumption and diversify their diets, meet the costs of sending children to school, pay for health services, and meet other basic needs such as clothes, shelter, clean water and soap.DFID provides access to water, sanitation and hygiene in schools through a range of programmes. Several projects under the Girls' Education Challenge (GEC) are implementing water and sanitation activities as part of their education initiatives. These activities include the construction and/or upgrading of toilets or other sanitation facilities, as well as communication and behaviour change activities to improve hygienic practices. Under this programme, Health Poverty Action (HPA) have constructed Eco-san toilets and girls’ changing rooms and Eco-Fuel have built disabled toilets in school to accommodate girls with disabilities.

Sierra Leone: Water

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2015 to Question 17479, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with the government of Sierra Leone to deliver high-quality programmes that will increase access to clean water.

Mr Nick Hurd: The President of Sierra Leone has identified water as one of his top six priorities for the post-Ebola recovery period. In the first phase, the “early recovery” period, DFID is providing assistance to establish or improve water and sanitation facilities in over 250 health facilities and over 300 schools.In July 2015 the Secretary of State announced a new £240m commitment to Sierra Leone for to help the country recover from the Ebola crisis, including the better delivery of public services. DFID has been supporting the Presidential Delivery Team to prioritise needs for the next phase, which include Water, Health and Education. The UK’s support on water and sanitation will be determined when those prioritised plans have been agreed. It may involve further upgrading of health facilities and schools. Significant support is also envisaged for improving infrastructure, including the existing water distribution system in Freetown; improved waste management, through support to the Government’s National Waste Management Policy and Strategy; and further investment in a programme of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) – building on our successful £58m WASH programme from 2010 to 2015 which resulted in over 1 million people gaining access to water and to sanitation in Sierra Leone.

Syria: Refugees

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that adequate clean water is provided in refugee camps near the Syrian border.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.In 2015/16 DFID is working with 18 humanitarian partners in countries neighbouring Syria. Our funding has provided access to clean water for over 980,000 people in these countries since the start of the crisis.In Jordan, DFID provides funding to UNICEF’s water supply work in refugee camps. In Zaatari Camp this involves the construction of boreholes in order to reduce daily running costs of trucking water into the camp. In December, for the first time since it opened, no external water trucking is needed for Zaatari camp. In Azraq Camp DFID contributes to the construction of boreholes, water distribution network and sanitation infrastructure.The vast majority of Syrian refugees live amongst host communities. The government’s response is therefore focused on refugees within these communities, not solely those in formal and informal camps. As a result, we are also funding Lebanese and Jordanian municipalities for the running of essential public services, including water and sanitation.

Infant Mortality

Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the three most common causes of global child mortality were in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: According to the latest estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of the 5.9 million deaths in children under five that occurred in 2015 about half were caused by infectious diseases.The three main killers in 2015 were; pneumonia (17 percent), preterm birth complications (16 percent) and neonatal intrapartum- related complications (11 percent). Others included; diarrhoea (8 percent), neonatal sepsis (7 percent) and malaria (5 percent). These causes of death have remained consistent over the last five years, despite an overall reduction of deaths worldwide. Almost half of all under-five deaths had malnutrition as an underlying cause and more than 80 percent of newborn deaths (deaths in the first month of life) occur among newborn infants of low birth weight in the highest burden settings.Given the multifaceted nature of child health DFID promotes a multi-sectoral approach to address causes of child mortality. This includes supporting interventions to address the direct; the intermediate; and the underlying causes of death. Examples include large (over £1.32 bn from 2011-15) financial contributions to GAVI, the global vaccine alliance, as well as more specific programmes to reduce childhood malnutrition, provide better care for newborns and promote clean water and sanitation. Our GAVI contribution has immunised 67.1m children. Other direct programmes to tackle child mortality have saved the lives of over 200,000 lives of children between 1 month and 5 years of age in the last five years. Many countries have seen dramatic changes for example, Ethiopia experienced a drop in child mortality of two thirds since 1990.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all children and young people affected by the Syrian conflict are in school and learning by the 2016-17 school year.

Mr Desmond Swayne: At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region taking place on February 4th in London co-hosted by the UK, Norway, Germany, Kuwait and the UN, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the UN Relief and Work Agency of the potential effect of financial shortfalls in (a) 2015-16 and (b) future on the provision of aid to the Palestinian Territories.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Secretary of State for International Development met UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, in December 2015 to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to UNRWA. Their discussion also focused on the important reforms UNRWA has been undertaking to address their chronic deficit and the need for UNRWA to diversify their donor base. The UK remains the third largest donor to UNRWA’s core budget and emergency appeals, in recognition of the important work that UNRWA does and that Palestinian refugees are a particularly vulnerable group across the region.

Developing Countries: Infant Mortality

Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on the number of child mortalities attributable to infections caused by (a) lack of access to safe water and (b) unclean environments of each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The most recent estimates from WHO are that diarrhoea caused by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene results in 842,000 deaths each year in low and middle income countries. Of these, 502,000 deaths are due to inadequate and unsafe drinking water, 280,000 deaths are due to inadequate sanitation and 297,000 are due to inadequate hygiene. WHO indicate that 361,000 of these deaths each year are among children under-five. This equates to nearly 1,000 unnecessary deaths in children under-five every day. WHO has identified a range of other diseases linked to inadequate water sanitation and hygiene but has not provided recent estimates of the number of deaths caused by these infections. These diseases include infections such as trachoma and malaria.DFID reached over 62 million people with water, sanitation and/or hygiene in the five years to 2014/15. We are currently formulating our new portfolio to deliver on the UK government’s commitment to help a further 60 million people get access to clean water and sanitation by 2020.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what research her Department has conducted or commissioned on the link between poor sanitation and associated hygiene practices and maternal and newborn health and survival.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID is providing £16 million over 8 years for SHARE (Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity), a research consortium led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. SHARE has funded five key studies which have significantly advanced our understanding of this critical issue and put water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) firmly on the global maternal & newborn health (MNH) agenda. Research includes a systematic review establishing the impact of WASH on maternal mortality and a cohort study in Odisha, India that has provided the first rigorous evidence that poor sanitation during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, low birthweight, spontaneous abortion and still birthDFID is also providing £7.2 million of funding to support the Sanitation, Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial currently underway in Zimbabwe. The trial aims to prove and describe the causal relationship between sanitation and child stunting.

Burundi: Refugees

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to those Burundians who have fled the country due to recent violence; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK Government is extremely concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi, and its humanitarian consequences, including the flow of Burundian refugees to neighbouring countries.The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the regional appeal, after the US. DFID is providing £14.25 million to support the relief efforts for refugees fleeing to Tanzania, the majority of which will be channelled through UN agencies (UNHCR and WFP). DFID is providing a further £3.9 million for the refugee response in Rwanda through both the UN and NGOs. This funding will be used by UN agencies and international NGOs to provide life-saving basic services to vulnerable populations, including full food rations.Additionally, DFID’s preparedness programme (started in 2014) has enabled UNICEF and WFP to prepare to assist up to 10,000 people in Burundi and to stockpile high energy biscuits for 45,000 people in Rwanda. The programme also helped UNOCHA strengthen humanitarian coordination in Burundi. DFID has provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support UN agencies working in Burundi.The START network (a consortium of international NGOs), which is supported by DFID, has released £442,327 in Burundi, £275,281 in Rwanda, £430,203 in Tanzania, and £330,000 in the DRC in support of the humanitarian response.The UK Government supports the process of opening consultations with the Government of Burundi, as provided for by Article 96 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, to encourage the Burundian Government to make the right choices for the citizens of Burundi and bring stability to Burundi.DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely with the FCO, and may consider additional funding, including within Burundi.

Developing Countries: Mental Health Services

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) funding and (b) other support for global mental healthcare.

Mr Nick Hurd: Last year the World Health Organisation (WHO), in their Mental Health Atlas 2014, indicated that levels of public expenditure on mental health are very low in low and middle-income countries (US$2 per head of population) and falls far below levels estimated for high-income countries (over US$50 per head of population). A large proportion of funds in low and middle-income countries go to inpatient care, especially mental hospitals.

Developing Countries: Mental Health Services

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to make global mental health a priority of her Department.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK’s health focus in developing countries is on improving the provision of basic health services for the poor by supporting health system strengthening, health worker capacity and access to essential medicines. Increasing coverage, equity, access and quality will strengthen health services to address all health problems including non-communicable diseases, like mental disorders and dementia.DFID is helping countries to make fairer, transparent and evidence-based decisions about how to set priorities and allocate resources in health. We are also funding programmes that are directly supporting work on mental health, such as under our Health Partnership Scheme and to Ghana’s Health Sector Support Programme. In addition we support research on mental health through our PRIME (Programme for Improving Mental health carE) programme.

Syria: Refugees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21501, how much of the Operational Plan budget relates to funding to assist with the effect of the refugee situation in Syria.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID’s entire £47 million Operational Plan budget for Jordan in the financial year 2015/16 has been allocated to respond to the effects of the Syria crisis. Around £37 million of this funding will provide humanitarian assistance and services to refugees in camps and living in host communities. The remaining £10 millionwill support the delivery of basic services in those municipalities with most refugees, and support basic education services to support the integration of Syrian refugee children into the education system.As a result of Daesh’s brutality, a separate humanitarian crisis has also emerged in Iraq. To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. DFID’s operational budget for Iraq in 2015-16 is provided on the basis of need and does not differentiate between internally displaced people and refugees.

Syria: Refugees

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) refugee teachers and (b) other teachers are paid liveable wages and receive appropriate training and support in countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.

Mr Desmond Swayne: At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground. This includes a regional policy dialogue on integrating refugee teachers into national education systems, where possible.

Syria: Refugees

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of non-formal education opportunities by NGOs for Syrian refugees in neighbouring and regional countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne: At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.

Syria: International Assistance

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her priorities and preferred outcomes are for the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in February 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Through the “Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016)” Conference we aim to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of all those affected by the crisis within Syria, and to support neighbouring countries who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees.The Conference will address the longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis through supporting the creation of jobs and providing education in the region, offering those that have been forced to flee their homes greater hope for the future. Specifically, we aim to ensure access to education for all refugee and host community children by the end of the 2016-17 school year.The Conference will also maintain pressure on all parties to the conflict to stop the obstruction of humanitarian relief and abuse of civilians that perpetuate the crisis and respect International Humanitarian Law. We aim to agree action to give people inside Syria safer healthcare, safer education, and support for the most vulnerable, especially girls and women. Looking ahead, it will need to ensure the international community is well prepared to support a coordinated stabilisation effort.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what amount of additional funding her Department has allocated to Ofsted to carry out local area inspections of provisions for children with special educational needs and disability; and if so, what amount has been allocated for each of the next three years.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities her Department has identified as being non-compliant with the statutory requirements relating to the content of the Local Offer since September 2014.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether an evaluation has been undertaken of the Ofsted pilot inspections of local area provision for children with special educational needs and disability; and if she will publish that evaluation.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities have been identified by her Department as being non-compliant with the statutory requirements relating to the content of Education, Health and Care plans since September 2014.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the Ofsted budget has been allocated for the purpose of carrying out local area inspections of provision for children with special educational needs and disability for each of the next three years.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to determine whether the Children and Families Act 2014 has successfully improved outcomes for children who have a disability but not a special educational need.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities have made good progress complying with the statutory special educational needs duties in the Children and Families Act 2014 since they came into force in September 2014. We continue to monitor progress.All local authorities have published a Local Offer of the services and support available to children and young people in their area with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Responsibility for publishing and maintaining Local Offers lies with each local authority. The Department supports local authorities to help make sure they meet all statutory requirements for their Local Offer, and that the quality of services continues to improve.In summer 2014, the Department conducted a review of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and plan templates from half of local authorities. The majority of the EHC plan templates we reviewed were judged likely to meet the requirements in the SEND Code of Practice. Where changes were needed, this was often due to inaccurate labelling of the required sections. Feedback was provided to individual local authorities alongside information to all local authorities about the key areas for focus. Since September 2014, EHC plans have been continually monitored. Where individual EHC plans are considered not to be fully compliant, advice on improvement is provided to the local authority.Figures returned by local authorities and published in the Statements of SEN and EHC plans Statistical First Release[1] in May 2015 show that, of the 1,360 new EHC plans issued between 1 September 2014 and 15 January 2015, 64.3% were within the statutory 20 week time limit when excluding exception cases.The Department for Education is providing specific additional funding to Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to support their inspection of the effectiveness of local areas in fulfilling their new SEND duties. We are in the process of setting individual budgets as part of our internal business planning process.Ofsted and CQC conducted pilots as part of their wider consultation on their inspection proposals. These pilots explored different approaches to securing evidence in what is a complex area, involving a range of education, social care, and health providers at the local level. Ofsted and CQC will publish their response to the consultation on these new inspection arrangements in spring 2016. In addition, they will evaluate the impact of inspections, which will begin later in 2016.The Department draws on a wide range of evidence to determine whether the SEND provisions of the Children and Families Act have improved outcomes for children. Our intention is that a combination of local accountability measures; data and analysis; and independent inspection will show how the SEND system is performing and whether outcomes are improving for children and young people.The SEND inspections will evaluate local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people. We will draw on a wide range of statistics[2], including information on educational attainment, absence and exclusions and research into families and young people’s experience of the new system.A summary of the available data on SEN and disability is available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472575/Special_educational_needs-_an_analysis_and_summary_of_data_sources.pdf [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2015[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen

High Arcal School

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sports facilities at the High Arcal Academy in Dudley.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold a record of the adequacy of sports facilities at the High Arcal academy in Dudley.

Children: Day Care

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare places there were in each London borough on 1 January of each year from 2010 to 2016.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) surplus and (b) shortfall in childcare places in each London borough on 1 January of each year from 2010 to 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and make this report available and accessible to parents. The Department does not hold borough level estimates centrally.The Department for Education’s Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey[1] collects data on all registered childcare places, including those in maintained schools and nurseries. However, data is only available at a national and regional level.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2013

Children: Day Care

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average (a) monthly and (b) annual cost of childcare per household was in (i) England and Wales, (ii) London and (iii) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government uses a range of information from a number of difference sources to consider the affordability of childcare including:Our ‘childcare and early years survey of parents’ (www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2012-to-2013);Independent surveys, such as the Family and Childcare Trust Annual Childcare Cost Surveys (www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/childcare-cost-survey-2015); andThe recent House of Lords Select Committee’s report on affordable childcare – to which we responded on 17 December, 2015 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-childcare-response-to-the-select-committee-report).We are committed to supporting hard-working parents with the costs of childcare and to make it more affordable. That is why we will be investing an extra £1billion per annum by 2019-20 to help hardworking families with the cost of childcare.We are already funding 15 hours a week of free early education for all three- and four-year-olds and for disadvantaged two-year-olds – this saves families around £2,500 per child per year. Through our Childcare Bill we are making plans to fund and deliver an additional 15 hours of free childcare for the working parents of three- and four-year olds from September 2017 (with early implementation in some areas from September 2016) – worth around another £2,500 per child per year. We also continue to invest in the Early Years Pupil Premium.We are also introducing Tax-Free Childcare from early 2017, under which around 2 million families could benefit by up to £2,000 per child per year or £4,000 per child per year if a child is disabled.For working parents on low and middle incomes, working tax credit pays up to 70% of their childcare costs and this will increase to 85% under Universal Credit from April 2016. This support will be available, for the first time, to those working fewer than 16 hours per week.

Children's Centres

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish her review of children's centres; and for what reasons that review was not published in 2015.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We value children’s centres services. We are committed to consulting on the role of children’s centres in 2016. Details about the scope and timing of the consultation will be made available in due course and will be publicised widely to ensure the broadest possible response.

Further Education

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on which dates the relevant (a) regional schools commissioner and (b) chief executive of the local enterprise partnership have attended steering group meetings of the area reviews of post-16 education and training in (i) Birmingham and Solihull, (ii) Greater Manchester, (iii) Sheffield City Region, (iv) Tees Valley, (v) Sussex, (vi) Solent and (vii) West Yorkshire; and if she will make a statement

Nick Boles: There are a range of ways in which Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) and members of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) contribute to area reviews, for instance through the Area Review Advisory Group.All Wave 1 Area Reviews have held a number of local steering group meetings, and RSCs and LEPs are members. In terms of specific attendance, an RSC may attend in person, or may instead send a representative. The area review guidance published in September 2015 does indicate that the LEP should be a member of the local steering group, but it does not require a particular representative to attend. LEPs do not usually have chief executives.RSC and LEP representatives have attended various steering group meetings in Birmingham and Solihull, Greater Manchester, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, Sussex, Solent and West Yorkshire from September 2015 to the present.

Sixth Form Education

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the regional schools commissioners have oversight of performance of sixth forms in academies; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: Regional Schools Commissioners are responsible for monitoring the performance of academies within their region, including performance at sixth form level. Decisions regarding intervention action are informed by the academy’s performance against minimum standards, including the 16-19 minimum standards, and Ofsted judgements, as well as local intelligence.

Children: Day Care

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints of each type her Department (a) received and (b) upheld against childcare providers in (i) England and Wales, (ii) London and (iii) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Ofsted, as the regulator for childcare providers in England, is responsible for considering and responding to complaints about them and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector will be writing to the hon. Member about this. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.Responsibility for childcare in Wales is a devolved matter and it would be for the Welsh Government and Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales to respond. Their contact address is Care and Social Services Inspectorate National Office, Welsh Government office, Rhydycar Business Park, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ or cssiw@wales.gsi.gov.uk.

Ministry of Justice

Supreme Court

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his oral evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee of 2 December 2015, Question 9, what his definition is of a constitutional long stop.

Dominic Raab: As the Prime Minister said on 10 November, we need to examine the way that Germany and other EU nations uphold their constitution and sovereignty. The issue that the Prime Minister raises requires serious thought, consultation within government and then space afterwards in order to allow proper debate.

Housing: Offenders

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of ex-offenders leaving prison who were provided (i) settled and (ii) temporary accommodation in each year since 2010-11.

Andrew Selous: Information and data on a prisoner’s housing destination at the point of discharge from prison is published at:2014-15:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/451037/mi-addendum.xls2013-14:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/338947/mi-addendum-dataset-2013-14.xls2012/13https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225233/mi-addendum-dataset.xls2011/12:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218334/noms-annual-report-addendum-2011-12.xls2010/11:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218346/noms-annual-report-2010-11-addendum.pdfFor the purposes of the performance measure, settled accommodation covers the following categories: permanent housing, supported housing, approved premises, other hostels and Bail Accommodation & Support Service (BASS) accommodation.Not in settled accommodation means: transient/short term accommodation, no fixed address, or no Information.

Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions his Department has been notified by external consultants or other third parties of breaches by employees or subcontractors of those consultants of document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials in each of the last two years.

Dominic Raab: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what special measures exist for survivors of domestic abuse in the family courts in child contact proceedings.

Caroline Dinenage: Family judges have a range of powers and training to ensure that vulnerable witnesses are handled sensitively in court. The Child Arrangements Programme and Practice Direction 12J set out a strong and clear framework where domestic violence is alleged. Judges can intervene to prevent inappropriate questions or have questions relayed. Practical protections, for example, protective screens, video links, separate waiting rooms and separate entrances are available where appropriate. It is for the judge involved, on the basis of the evidence, to determine how the framework will be applied in a particular case.

Domestic Violence

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that judges and other decision-makers have appropriate knowledge and training on issues relating to child arrangements orders made in the family court in cases in which there is a history of domestic abuse.

Caroline Dinenage: Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, responsibility for judicial training rests with the Lord Chief Justice and this responsibility is exercised through the Judicial College. Accordingly, the independence of the judiciary means that Government Ministers do not intervene with regard to the content of judicial training.The Judicial College has advised that judges, magistrates and their Legal Advisers have all received specific training on domestic violence issues and were trained in the new Child Arrangements Programme and Practice Direction 12J as part of the Family Justice Review reforms in 2014.

Advocacy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) the Legal Aid Agency and (b) HM Courts and Tribunal Service spent on intermediaries in each of the last four years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Advocacy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of intermediaries were used for (a) witnesses, (b) victims and (c) defendants in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: In 2015, 7% of initial requests from the police and Crown Prosecution Service for a Registered Intermediary were related to witnesses (who were not victims in the case) and 93% to victims. We do not have a figure for how many of these victims then gave evidence as a witness. Information on intermediaries for defendants and the use of non-registered intermediaries is not held centrally.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the trends in the prison population for (a) white and (b) non-white prisoners over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: This information is published and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly.

Parc Prison

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what investigation his Department is making into the concerns recently  raised by assistant coroner Christopher Wooley with regards to failures at HM Prison Parc.

Andrew Selous: I have received a report from the Coroner following the recent inquest into the tragic death from natural causes of a prisoner at HMP Parc in 2014. I have noted the matters of concern set out in it, which include issues of policy across the prison estate, as well as local practice at HMP Parc. The National Offender Management Service is working with the Director of the prison, and the other organisations to which the report has been sent, to ensure that the concerns are examined and appropriately addressed, and that the Coroner receives a response to his report within the statutory deadline.

Employment Tribunals Service

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many employment tribunals mental health was a contributing factor in each year since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This information is not held.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners diagnosed with a mental health illness are being held with another prisoner in a cell designed for one person.

Andrew Selous: As the Secretary of State has said, the prison estate is overcrowded and out of date. That’s why we have announced that we will close down aging and ineffective prisons, replacing them with buildings fit for today’s demands, including better management of prisoners with mental health illnesses.On arrival all prisoners have a health assessment that looks in particular at mental health, risk of self-harm and suicide, risk of harm to others and vulnerability or risk of harm from others. A cell sharing risk assessment is also undertaken to inform whether a prisoner can share a cell, which includes looking at the health assessment. All prisons have on-site primary health care teams who can provide mental health care, refer prisoners to talking therapies or refer them for a further psychiatric assessment for serious mental illness.While the National Offender Management Service collects centrally the data on when two prisoners are held in a cell designed for one, it does not centrally record how many of these prisoners have an identified mental health concern.This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21819, what progress has been made on establishing a date of publication for the Macur report.

Caroline Dinenage: Lady Justice Macur’s report is being considered as a matter of urgency with a view to publication as soon as possible.The report needs to be considered by law enforcement agencies and the government before it can be published. This includes considering whether redactions need to be made. Lady Justice Macur has herself recommended that certain material should be considered for redaction before publication.

Bill of Rights: Public Consultation

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans for the consultation on the repeal of the Human Rights Act and replacement with a British Bill of Rights to (a) begin and (b) end.

Dominic Raab: This Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. We will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation for a Bill of Rights and we will set out our proposals in due course.

Women and Equalities

Civil Partnerships

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many civil partnerships have been (a) conducted, (b) terminated and (c) converted to marriage status since such partnerships were established.

Caroline Dinenage: Based on the latest publicly available data from the Office of National Statistics, since the Civil Partnership Act came into force in December 2005, the total number of civil partnerships formed in England and Wales up to the end of 2014 is 62,621.From January 2007 to December 2014, there were 4,527 civil partnerships dissolutions in England and Wales.A total of 7,732 couples chose to convert their existing civil partnership into a marriage in the six months between 10 December 2014 and 30 June 2015 in England and Wales.This information is available from the Office of National Statistics: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Civil+Partnerships

Leader of the House

Trident

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to his oral contribution of 21 January 2016, Official Report, column 1556, whether he has since been advised of the date on which the House will hold its debate on the maingate for the successor to the Trident programme.

Chris Grayling: Future business of the House will be announced in the usual way.

Privy Council

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Leader of the House, what the order of precedence is for induction to the Privy Council.

Chris Grayling: By custom and convention, the Order of precedence for the induction of new members of the Privy Council is that those wishing to take an Oath are appointed first, followed by those wishing to make affirmation. Other than this distinction, the Order of induction is alphabetical. Privy Counsellor appointments are published after each Privy Council meeting and are available at http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/privy-council/privy-council-meetings/.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will detail what accommodation has been available for trainees at (a) MOD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MOD Llanwrst, (c) MOD Fairbourne and (d) MOD Crickhowell in each of the last 10 years; whether external bed and breakfast accommodation is used for trainees at any of those centres; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 02 December 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The military bed space capacity at each of the centres is as follows:Training CentreBed SpacesForce Development Training Centre (FDTC) Crickhowell260FDTC Fairbourne60FDTC Grantown-on-Spey40Joint School for Adventurous Training Instructors (JSATI) Llanwrst420On occasions, for example when Ministry of Defence accommodation is at full capacity a local bed and breakfast would be used. Records dating back 10 years are not available. However during financial year 2014-15 bed and breakfast accommodation has been utilised as follows:FDTC Fairbourne (18 nights’ accommodation) and as at December 2016 for financial year 2015-16: FDTC Grantown (64 nights’ accommodation).

Mark Lancaster: The military bed space capacity at each of the centres is as follows:Training CentreBed SpacesForce Development Training Centre (FDTC) Crickhowell260FDTC Fairbourne60FDTC Grantown-on-Spey40Joint School for Adventurous Training Instructors (JSATI) Llanwrst420On occasions, for example when Ministry of Defence accommodation is at full capacity a local bed and breakfast would be used. Records dating back 10 years are not available. However during financial year 2014-15 bed and breakfast accommodation has been utilised as follows:FDTC Fairbourne (18 nights’ accommodation) and as at December 2016 for financial year 2015-16: FDTC Grantown (64 nights’ accommodation).

Armed Forces: Training

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of providing adventurous training in Bavaria to each branch of the armed forces was in each of the last 10 years; how many personnel in each branch have participated in such training in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 03 December 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Ministry of Defence does not hold records dating back 10 years, however over the last financial year (financial year 2014-15for the Navy and RAF, and predicted for financial year 2015-16 for the Army) the detailed breakdown of the costs to deliver adventurous training, by service, at each of the three adventurous training centres in Bavaria, are as follows:Training CentrePersonnel Participating (approx)Approx cost (per year)Force Development Training Centre (FDAT) Bavaria (RAF)1,740£850,000Naval Outdoor Centre Germany (NOCG) (Navy)2,000£1.4 millionAdventurous Training Centre (ATC) Bavaria (Army)1,300£3.5 million

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Defence does not hold records dating back 10 years, however over the last financial year (financial year 2014-15for the Navy and RAF, and predicted for financial year 2015-16 for the Army) the detailed breakdown of the costs to deliver adventurous training, by service, at each of the three adventurous training centres in Bavaria, are as follows:Training CentrePersonnel Participating (approx)Approx cost (per year)Force Development Training Centre (FDAT) Bavaria (RAF)1,740£850,000Naval Outdoor Centre Germany (NOCG) (Navy)2,000£1.4 millionAdventurous Training Centre (ATC) Bavaria (Army)1,300£3.5 million

Defence

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what working definition of imminence his Department uses in the application of article 51 of the UN Charter.

Penny Mordaunt: It has long been the position of successive UK Governments that "the inherent right of self-defence", as recognised in Article 51 of the UN Charter, does not require a State to wait until an armed attack is actually under way before it can lawfully use force to alleviate the threat. A State may use force in anticipation of an armed attack where such an attack is imminent, provided that such force is both necessary and proportionate to averting the threat. The assessments would depend on the facts of each case, with consideration likely to include issues such as the nature and immediacy of the threat, the probability of an attack, its scale and effects and whether it can be prevented without force.

Rescue Services: Mediterranean Sea

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2015 to Question 8772, how many people have been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea each week since then by (a) HMS Enterprise and (b) all Royal Navy vessels.

Penny Mordaunt: The total number of migrants rescued each week by all Royal Navy vessels in the Mediterranean in support of the EU Naval Forces Operation tackling migrant smuggling and trafficking (EUNAVFOR Op SOPHIA) since 9 September 2015 are:Week commencingNumber of Migrants Rescued by HMS ENTERPRISENumber of Migrants Rescued by HMS RICHMOND07-September 2015014-September 201537721-September 201522028-September 2015005-October 201563912-October 2015019-October 2015026-October 201543910202-November 201513409-November 2015016-November 2015023-November 20155430-November 201541407-December 2015014-December 2015021-December 2015028-December 201518804-January 2016011-January 2016018-January 20160Total2,331236 Total 2,537HMS ENTERPRISE deployed to the Mediterranean on 3 July 2015 and is the current UK contribution to EUNAVFOR Op SOPHIA.In addition, the UK contributed HMS RICHMOND to EUNAVFOR Op SOPHIA from 25 October 2015 to 21 November 2015.

Trident Submarines: Decommissioning

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the most recent estimate is that his Department has made of the (a) civilian public sector, (b) civilian private sector and (c) military personnel required to work on the decommissioning of the Vanguard class submarines; and how many of those workers will be employed on decommissioning.

Mr Philip Dunne: The UK's Vanguard Class submarines will begin to leave service by the early 2030s as the Successor submarines are introduced into service. The detailed planning necessary for this work has yet to commence and it is not therefore possible at this time to make an assessment of the workforce that will be required.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the written statement of 20 July 2015, HCWS 149, whether his Department has completed its collation of information on UK personnel embedded on operations; and whether he plans for that collation to include information on intelligence analysts and RPAS operators working remotely.

Michael Fallon: I refer my right hon. Friend to my Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015 (HCWS431) which details UK Service personnel embedded in another nations' armed forces, who are deployed on operations together with those who work on operations in deployed coalition or single nation headquarters roles. Intelligence analysts or remotely piloted air systems operators meeting this criteria would be included in the data but for personal and operational security reasons these numbers will not be separately identified.



20151217 - WMS on UK Embedded Forces
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Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Tankers

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) market value and (b) weight of UK steel has been used in the manufacture of the TIDE Class Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much steel by (a) market value and (b) weight has been purchased from each country for the manufacture of the TIDE Class Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers.

Mr Philip Dunne: Under European and UK procurement regulations, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) could not contractually mandate the use of particular suppliers. Decisions on the source of steel are a matter for the contractors who take into account the cost, timeliness of availability and the quality of steel used in defence contracts. These considerations allow defence contractors to deliver value for money for the taxpayer.The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability contract to build the four Tide Class tankers was awarded to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in March 2012. Although UK companies participated in the competition to supply the vessels, none submitted a final bid.In January 2015, the MOD awarded a contract worth approximately £15 million to A&P Group Ltd in the UK for the provision of UK customisation, Capability Assessment Trials and Support for all four tankers. The work will be managed by A&P Group Ltd's Falmouth shipyard.Manufacture of the four Tide Class tankers will in total require 44,000 tonnes of steel. Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering source this steel locally in South Korea. The market value of steel depends upon a number of factors, including geographical location and quality. The MOD does not hold information from which the market value of the steel used in the manufacture of the Tide Class tankers could be determined.

RAF Northolt: Investment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22034, whether he plans that any further investment will take place at RAF Northolt (a) on the proposed Engineered Material Arresting System and (b) otherwise until after the Government has responded to the Davies Commission on Aviation Capacity in the South East; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department's reasons for installing an Engineered Material Arresting System at RAF Northolt; how much he expects that installation to cost; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Mott MacDonald Report 2012 on safety standards at RAF Northolt recommended that an Engineered Material Arresting System be installed at RAF Northolt; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) is being scoped as a military infrastructure requirement commensurate with safety cases for military aircraft operating at RAF Northolt and the associated military aerodrome design standards utilised at the Station. I am withholding estimated costs for the EMAS project as it is at the pre-tender stage and disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.The Mott McDonald report has no opinion or relevance against the military aerodrome design criteria and safety cases in place at the Station or the current operation of RAF Northolt. Any infrastructure investment for military operational requirements will continue to be undertaken as necessary to support military and Government outputs.

Shipping: Construction

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Government plans to publish its shipbuilding strategy.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 January 2016 to Question 20545 to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).



20160107 - QnA extract on Shipbuilding
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Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2015 to Question 16318, what recent progress he has made on discussions with stakeholders on proposals to exempt certain groups from the removal of automatic entitlement to housing support for 18 to 21 years olds on universal credit; and when he plans to publish proposals resulting from those discussions.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department continues to liaise with a range of key stakeholders as it develops exemptions to the removal of automatic entitlement to housing support for 18-21 year olds in Universal Credit. This includes discussing this policy with landlords, housing associations and charities.Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.

Medical Treatments Abroad: Europe

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for which countries that the UK has reimbursement arrangements with under the European Health Insurance Card regulations his Department has identified as not having staff with relevant language skills.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what languages his Department's overseas health team is trained to speak.

Justin Tomlinson: There is no requirement for DWP staff to have foreign language skills when dealing with EEA Member States in relation to the reimbursement process under the EHIC regulations.

Universal Credit: Young People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the likely average change in the amount received by workless 18 to 21 year olds as a result of the removal of housing allowance from such people in April 2017.

Justin Tomlinson: The amount of Universal Credit awarded where the housing element is payable is not being changed; this policy will simply remove entitlement from certain 18 -21 year olds. Some 18-21 year olds will be unaffected by this change as exemptions will allow support with housing costs to continue in their award.The Department continues to liaise with a range of key stakeholders as it develops exemptions. This includes discussing this policy with landlords, housing associations and charities. Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.

Universal Credit: Young People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the removal of housing allowance for 18 to 21 year-olds who receive universal credit in the number of (a) homeless people and (b) claimants living on temporary accommodation.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department continues to liaise with a range of key stakeholders as it develops exemptions to the removal of automatic entitlement to housing support for 18-21 year olds in Universal Credit. This includes discussing this policy with landlords, housing associations and charities.Once this work has been completed we will bring forward detailed proposals.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the gross working premium of insurers which was required to fund the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Justin Tomlinson: In 2014/15 the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) levy was charged at £32m which represented 2.2% of employers’ liability gross written premium (EL GWP). The actual cost of the DMPS in 2014/15 was £24.2m, and the additional £7.8m collected has been carried forward into 2015/16.On 12 January 2016 the Department announced that it anticipated the gross cost of the DMPS in 2015/16 to be £31m. This represents 2% of EL GWP. However, the amount actually levied on the insurance industry for 2015/16, taking into account the £7.8m carried forward, is £23.2m, which represents 1.5% of EL GWP.Note: The proportions quoted above use the most recently available EL GWP data in any one year. Due to the time taken to collect and verify this data, the EL GWP figure used to calculate the proportion the levy represents will be two years old. For example, for the 2014/15 levy the EL GWP data is from 2012.

Housing Benefit

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to enable special circumstances to be taken into account when making the decision to withhold housing benefit from people who are away from their homes for a period of more than four weeks.

Justin Tomlinson: The temporary absence rules allow Housing Benefit to continue where under the normal conditions of entitlement it would not do so. They are therefore extensions of entitlement rather than withdrawals of it.It is the intention from April 2016, that Housing Benefit claimants who leave Great Britain for longer than 4 weeks will no longer be able to get Housing Benefit while they are away. This aligns the Housing Benefit rules with other benefits including Universal Credit.We intend that the period of 4 weeks could be extended in exceptional circumstances (for example, if their reason for being abroad is due to the death of a family member).

Income Support: Landlords

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of whether paragraph 20 of Schedule 9 of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 accurately reflects the real costs borne by a claimant who takes a boarder into their home.

Priti Patel: There has been no such assessment.

State Retirement Pensions: Airdrie and Shotts

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Airdrie and Shotts constituency will be affected by changes in the State Pension Age introduced under the (a) Pensions Act 1995 and (b) Pensions 2011 Act.

Justin Tomlinson: Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953 are affected by State Pension age equalisation under the Pensions Act 1995.The Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the equalisation of State Pension age, affecting women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953, whilst women born between 6 Dec 1953 and 5 April 1960 are affected by the bringing forward of the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66 under the Pensions Act 2011.Estimates of the number of women affected at constituency level can be made from the relevant population estimates.Parliamentary Constituency (England and Wales) level population estimates, relating to mid-2014 (the latest available) can be found by selecting “SAPE17DT7 - Parliamentary Constituency Mid-Year Population Estimates (experimental), Mid-2014” at:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-395002#tab-2014For Scotland, mid-2014, at:http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/special-area-population-estimates/spc-population-estimates

Pension Credit

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to enable special circumstances to be taken into account when making the decision to withhold pension credit to people who are away from their homes for a period of more than four weeks.

Justin Tomlinson: It is the intention to amend the Pension Credit temporary absence from Great Britain rules from April 2016. The temporary absence rules allow entitlement to Pension Credit to continue where under normal conditions it would not do so.We are planning for a general rule which will allow Pension Credit to remain payable for absences not exceeding four weeks. We intend to have exceptions to the general rule to cater for bereavement or medical treatment. Where the absence from Great Britain is in connection with a bereavement concerning a partner or close relative then entitlement to Pension Credit may continue for absences not exceeding eight weeks. Where the absence from Great Britain is in order to receive medical treatment then entitlement to Pension Credit may continue for absences not exceeding 26 weeks.These changes do not affect the Pension Credit rules covering absences from home within Great Britain.

Temporary Accommodation: Housing Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of households in temporary accommodation which will be affected by the introduction of the lower benefit cap; and if he will estimate the average proportion of the income of such households that will be subject to that cap.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. A link to the impact assessment is included.http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006.pdf

Housing Benefit: Cardiff South and Penarth

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been affected by the under-occupancy penalty in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: Information concerning how many people have been affected by the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months is published and can be found at the link below:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland will receive a reply to his letter of 14 December 2015 addressed to Robert Devereux, Permanent Secretary to his Department.

Justin Tomlinson: The Permanent Secretary replied to the hon. Member on 28 January 2015.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what modelling his Department has undertaken on potential transitional arrangements for women born in the period 1951 to 1953 who are affected by accelerated equalisation of the state pension age; and if he will publish the results of any such modelling.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women born between 6 April and 5 December 1953 will be affected by the increase to the state pension age under the provisions of the Pension Act 2011.

Justin Tomlinson: Of the group stated in the question only women born on or after 6 April 1953 are affected by the changes in State Pension age in the 2011 Pensions Act.The faster increase to 65 under the Pensions Act 2011 affect an estimated 230,000 women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. This figure, rounded to the nearest 10,000, is for Great Britain and is based on DWP calculations using ONS statistics.During the passage of the Pensions Bill 2011 the Government tabled an amendment so that the maximum delay to State Pension age relative to the previously legislated timetable that any individual faced was 18 months. This amendment affected people born between 6 January 1954 and 5 September 1954. The analysis accompanying this amendment is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182066/pensions-bill-spa-info.pdf

Employment: Autism

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of adults with autism are in full-time employment; and what steps his Department is taking to help adults on the autism spectrum into work.

Justin Tomlinson: Government does not collect data specifically on employment rates for people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC).Estimates are available from the National Autistic Society (NAS), who suggest that 15% of working age people with autism are in full time employment.Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is taking a number of steps to help adults on the autism spectrum into work, including:the development of an Autism/ Hidden Impairment Network across Jobcentre Plus;the expansion of the Access to Work Mental Health specialist advisory team to cover people with autism and associated hidden impairment conditions;work to implement autism specific opportunities on LMS, Jobcentre Plus’s IT system;the introduction of a Job-Shadowing Work Placement Initiative for young disabled people (65% of participants in the first tranche had autistic spectrum conditions)The formation of an Autism Taskforce involving disability organisations and disabled people.DWP has worked in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING) to produce an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit, which helps employers to recruit and retain people with hidden impairment conditions.DWP is fully committed to the Government’s Autism Strategy. The latest progress report on the Autism Strategy can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-strategy-for-adults-with-autism

Supported Housing: Local Housing Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what savings to the Exchequer are expected by capping the cost of Local Housing Allowance for people living in sheltered and supported housing.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available.

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of what proportion of the difference between the local housing allowance rate and the actual cost of rent and service charge in supported and sheltered housing will be met by discretionary housing payments in (a) Birmingham and (b) England and Wales.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available.

Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department makes available for people who are returning to work after a period of ill health.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has developed Fit for Work to help people who are returning to work after a period of ill health. Fit for Work provides both a supportive occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and General Practitioners (GPs), to help individuals stay in or return to work.People who have been unemployed due to ill health may be also eligible for support from a number of other programmes, including:Work Choice, which is a specialist disability employment programme that provides tailored support for disabled people who face barriers to finding and retaining workSpecialist Employability Support (SES), which was launched in 2015, is a new national provision, designed to help unemployed disabled adults with the most complex needs to secure and sustain employment or self-employment.The Work Programme, which allows providers the flexibility to design an innovative and personalised approach to help participants back into sustained employment.Additionally, an individual who is returning to their current job or a new job after a period of ill health may be eligible for support from Access to Work, which is a discretionary grant scheme that offers financial awards for in-work support for people whose disability or health condition affects the way they work.

Pension Protection Fund

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to implement the Pension Protection Fund capping change set out in the Pension Act 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is committed to the implementation of the Pension Protection Fund long service cap as described in the Pensions Act 2014.Before the primary legislation can be brought into force, a number of changes need to be made to secondary legislation, so that it will operate as expected in all cases. Therefore we cannot, at this time, commit to a particular implementation date.

Food Banks

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to publish statistics on national food bank usage.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has no plans to collect or publish statistics on food bank usage.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received a payment from the diffuse mesothelioma payments scheme in (a) July 2012 to March 2014 and (b) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) started to take applications from 6 April 2014 (although it accepted applications from individuals diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma on or after 25 July 2012); therefore no people received payments from the Scheme between July 2012 and March 2014. 255 people received a payment from the Scheme in the financial year 2014/15.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the total compensation expected to be paid by insurers to people with mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos by their employer negligently or in breach of statutory duty over the next (a) five, (b) 10, (c) 20 and (d) 30 years.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not make estimates of the total amount of compensation expected to be paid by insurers to people with mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos by their employer negligently or in breach of statutory duty.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made any revisions to (a) the amount his Department forecasts will be required for the diffuse mesothelioma payments scheme and (b) the number of people his Department forecasts will apply to receive payments from the scheme in the first 10 years of its operation since it last published those figures.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department makes revisions to the DMPS financial forecast annually for the purposes of calculating the levy. A Ministerial written statement (HCWS460) was tabled in the House of Commons on 12 January 2016 and provides details of the DMPS levy for 2015/16.Similarly, the Department forecasts the number of applicants annually. In 2014/15, there were 410 applicants to the DMPS. The next set of official DMPS statistics will be released 28 January 2015 and will contain six months’ worth of data on applications for 2015/16. Assumptions could be derived from those figures for the remainder of the year.No revisions have been made to longer term forecasts since the DMPS Impact Assessment was published 6 March 2014. This can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286525/mesothelioma-payment-scheme-ia-mar-2014.pdf

Universal Credit: Rents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the implementation of universal credit on the level of rent arrears in council homes.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not collected centrally.Statistics are published annually on the total value of local authority social housing rent arrears, broken down by Local Authority area. They were most recently published on the Government’s website for 2014-15:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data#2014-to-2015

Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the case for a free telephone number for those using a pay-as-you-go mobile telephone to resolve administrative errors with benefit payments.

Priti Patel: The Department has no plans to make an assessment regarding provision of free telephone numbers for those using mobile telephones to resolve administrative issues. Calls to make a claim to benefit are free at the point of use.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 17647, how many of the 650,000 women who will receive an average of £8 per week more for the first 10 years of the new state pension were born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department published analysis on the impact of the new State Pension (nSP) in January 2016 showing that 650,000 women stand to gain on average £8 per week over the next ten years as a result of the nSP valuation. This is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-state-pension-impact-on-an-individuals-pension-entitlement-longer-term-effectsThe specific information requested is not available.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

MG Alba: Finance

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy of 3 December 2015, Official Report, column 510, what the purpose was of the two one-off grants paid to MG Alba.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The two one-off grants to MG Alba were provided to support the production of high-quality Gaelic language content, including original drama, and to continue its valued services for Gaelic speakers.

Sportsgrounds: Disability

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what requirements are placed on sports stadia to provide wheelchair access.

David Evennett: The provisions in the Equality Act 2010 require providers of services to the public, such as a sports stadium, to make a ‘reasonable adjustment’ so that disabled people are not placed at a “substantial disadvantage” compared to non-disabled people, and this includes the provision of wheelchair access.

World War I: Anniversaries

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £50 million fund established for First World War commemorations has been allocated to or spent in Northern Ireland.

David Evennett: The Heritage Lottery Fund has committed £13.9m of Lottery funding to 58 projects across Northern Ireland and continues to welcome applications for First World War projects of any size. One of these projects is the restoration and display of HMS Caroline - the only surviving ship from the 1916 Battle of Jutland – in Belfast's historic maritime quarter.

Music: Disability

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on the number of spaces which should be available for disabled people in music venues across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The huge variation in size, type and location of music venues across the UK makes it impractical to require venue operators to make a specific number of spaces available for disabled people. However, we believe that everyone should have access to arts and culture - having a disability should not be a barrier to enjoying Britain’s awe-inspiring cultural treasures. That is why we are working with venues and organisations representing disabled people to identify barriers to access, while at the same time seeing how we can share examples of best practice and what more cultural venues need to do to be accessible to people with disabilities. We support the work of Attitude is Everything, which works with audiences, artists, and the music industry to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live events. Ialso recently held a roundtable meeting with Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People to look at access to cultural venues and events for disabled people. Additionally, provisions in the Equality Act 2010 require providers of services to the public (for example music venues), to make a ‘reasonable adjustment’ so that disabled people are not placed at a “substantial disadvantage” to non-disabled people.

Local Press

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to maintain the diversity of the local newspaper sector in the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As the Secretary of State has stated previously, Local papers are the bread and butter of journalism - they part of the communities they serve, and people rely on and respect them. In our manifesto, we committed to consulting on the introduction of a business rates relief for local newspapers in England, which we have now done, and are considering next steps.

Home Office

Detention Centres

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost was to the public purse of immigration holding and removal centres in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 18 January 2016



Detention costs are published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available from the Vote OfficeCosts (£,000):2014-15 £136,9262013-14 £143,5492012-13 £132,696Included in this figure are the accommodation costs - building, staff, catering, bedding – for the services provided under both private contracts and by Central Government. Also included are the cost of holding individuals in police cells, where an individual is subsequently transferred to Immigration Enforcement.

Sexual Offences

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) sexual harm prevention orders and (b) sexual risk orders have been made by courts in England; and how many people subject to each such order were under the age of 18.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) sexual harm prevention orders and (b) sexual risk orders have been made by courts in England to protect children aged 16 and 17.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) sexual harm prevention orders and (b) sexual risk orders have been made by courts in England.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not collate central figures on the number of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and Sexual Risk Orders issued in England. Figures collated by the police for management purposes, and provided to the Home Office, on the overall number of orders show that in the period between 8 March and 29 September, 2,425 full and 40 interim Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and 32 full and 13 interim Sexual Risk Orders were issued in England and Wales. This data is not broken down by age.

Asylum

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question HC 1906, on Asylum, what recent progress has been made on resuming the Detained Fast Track system.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 22 January 2016



In line with my statement on 2 July 2015, Detained Fast Track will only be resumed once the right structures are in place to minimise any risk of unfairness.A review of the policy and process has been conducted, informed by the recommendations in Stephen Shaw’s report into the welfare of vulnerable people in detention, which was published on 14 January 2016.A statement will be made before we resume the operation of the Detained Fast Track.

UK Border Force

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times UK Border Force staff employed in ports were redeployed to airports in 2015.

Mrs Theresa May: Holding answer received on 22 January 2016



Her Majesty’s Government does not comment on port specific deployment numbers. Border Force deploys mobile response team resources across the regions to combat both daily and seasonal pressures.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people she expects to leave the UK in April 2016 because the term of their Tier 2 visa will expire.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 22 January 2016



The Home Office has not made an estimate of this particular figure. Applicants may apply for settlement if they meet the qualifying criteria, or to extend their stay in Tier 2 up to a maximum of six years, or to switch into another immigration route for which they are eligible.The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold.The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This is available on the gov.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.

Visas: Married People

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rationale is for people on spousal visas resident in the UK being required to pay a health surcharge as part of their visa.

James Brokenshire: The Immigration Health Surcharge was introduced in April last year to ensure that temporary, non-EEA migrants (unless subject to an exemption), who apply to come to the UK to work, study or join family, for a time-limited period of more than 6 months or who make an application to remain in the UK, contribute to the extensive and high quality range of NHS services available to them in a manner in line with their immigration status. This includes individuals resident in the UK with temporary spousal visas of more than 6 months, until such time they are eligible for indefinite leave to remain in which case the Immigration Health Surcharge does not apply.It gives migrant’s access to the NHS on the same terms as a permanent UK resident. The surcharge is set at a competitive rate and is a lower cost over the period of stay than the cost of even basic private medical insurance. In setting the Immigration Health Surcharge level at £200 per annum per migrant and £150 for students, the last Government considered the range of health services available without charge to migrants, the valuable contribution migrants make to our country and the need to ensure that the UK remains an attractive destination for global talent.In the first 6 months since its introduction, the Immigration Health Surcharge collected more than £100 million in income for the NHS.

Undocumented Migrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants in residence in each constituent region and nation of the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 25 January 2016



Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently living in the UK by constituent region and nation are not available.

Criminal Investigation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost was to the public purse of police investigations into suspicious deaths over the last three years.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 26 January 2016



The Home Office does not directly monitor the costs of such investigations as these are met locally from individual police force budgets.However, If the police face unexpected or exceptional events, there is an established process by which Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) can apply for Special Grant funding to help with these costs. Special Grant funding is usually only available when the additional costs are more than one per cent of the PCC’s budget, or where the additional costs might threaten the financial stability of the force.

Refugees: Syria

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications for her policies are of the decision by other countries to confiscate the belongings of Syrian refugees over a certain value to meet the costs of their stay.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 27 January 2016



Any decision by other countries to confiscate the belongings of Syrian refugees over a certain value to meet the cost of their stay in those countries will not impact the way the UK deals with Syrian refugees. The Government will continue to target the most vulnerable Syrians, who cannot be supported effectively in the region, for resettlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. The first 12 month’s resettlement costs are funded through Official Development Assistance and at the Spending Review the Government committed £129 million to assist with local authority costs over years 2-5 of the scheme.

Visas: Domestic Service

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people (a) have applied for and (b) were issued with a (i) Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa and (ii) the Private Servants in a Diplomatic Household visa in each year since 2009-10; and how many of such people in each such year and for each visa category were (A) subsequently found non-compliant with terms of that visa and (B) deported.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 27 January 2016



The available information is shown in the attached table.Private Servants in Diplomatic Households entering the UK since 27 November 2008 have been considered under Tier 5 of the Points Based System, and cannot be identified separately from centrally collated statistical databases.Information relating to the numbers of Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa subsequently found non-compliant with the terms of that visa is not available from centrally collated statistical databases and could only be produced at disproportionate cost by examination of thousands of casesA deportation is defined as follows:A person who is not a British citizen is liable to deportation from the United Kingdom if the Secretary of State deems their deportation to be conducive to the public good. A deportation order requires a person to leave the UK and prohibits them from re-entering for an indefinite period. The deportation order invalidates any leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom given before the order is made or while it is in force.Deportations are a specific subset of published removal figures.The table below shows the number of people who entered the UK as a domestic worker and were then deported from the UK in each of the last 5 years. These figures include both deportations and enforced removals.YearNumber of domestic workers deported and enforced removals from the UK20107201111201216201320201414The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics



Entry Clearance Visa
(Word Document, 13.47 KB)

Offenders: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect on victims of her Department not having information about the status and supervision of deported criminals who have been returned to their home countries.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 27 January 2016



A victim may contact the Home Office directly or make a request via their Victim Liaison Officer (VLO) for information on the progress of a foreign prisoner’s deportation. The Home Office will inform the victim or their VLO on whether deportation is being pursued or has been enforced.Once deported, a foreign criminal is banned from returning to the UK and that information is held on Home Office records. We have robust arrangements in place to identify people of concern before they enter the UK.It is not Home Office policy to regularly monitor a foreign national once they have been deported.

Migrant Workers

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that Intra Company Transfer Tier 2 visas cannot be used to replace a UK worker who has been made redundant.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Migrant Workers

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect Tier 2 migration is having on the (a) pay and (b) terms and conditions of UK employees.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Migrant Workers: ICT

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on what the average salary of a Tier 2 worker on an Intra Company Transfer visa is in the IT industry; and how this compares to the industry average.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Clearsprings Group

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints her Department has received regarding services provided under contract by Clearsprings from (a) service users and (b) external parties in each of the last six years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Clearsprings Group

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value is of contracts awarded to Clearsprings by her Department in each of the last six years.

James Brokenshire: In 2012, Clearsprings Ready Homes (CRH) were awarded 2 contracts for the provision of asylum accommodation, transport and related services. The estimated contract value over seven years (5 + 2) for each region is:Wales Region – £75 million.London and South of England Region - £55 million.In 2006, Clearsprings were awarded 5 contracts for the provision of asylum accommodation and related services. The estimated contract value over the life of the contracts (2006 – 2012) for each of the regions was:London - £88.3 millionSouth East - £25.1millionSouth West - £45.8 millionEast of England - £17.2 millionWales - £68.5 million

Refugees: France

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Refugees of 6 January 2016, Official Report, column 190WH, which French NGO the Government has supported significantly.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Action Fraud

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions officials from her Department have had with the City of London Police on the performance of Action Fraud in the last 12 months.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Office: Domestic Visits

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which parliamentary constituencies she has visited in her official capacity since the May 2015 general election; and on which dates and for what purposes those visits were made.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 28 January 2016



Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.Details of Ministerial meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Refugees: Calais

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to implement the joint programme referred to in paragraph 21 of the joint ministerial declaration, Managing Migratory Flows in Calais, of 20 August 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Psychoactive Substances Bill (HL)

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will suspend the powers of enforcement contained in the Psychoactive Substances Bill in relation to alkyl nitrates pending the outcome of the review announced in response to the Home Affairs Select Committee First Report of Session 2015-16, published on 23 October 2015.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 28 January 2016



Pending the outcome of the review announced in the response to the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee, we will seek to ensure a proportionate response to the sale of poppers by all those enforcing the legislation and that this approach is reflected in the guidance currently being drafted by enforcement partners.The Bill has lower penalties than the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and provides for civil sanctions, as an alternative to a criminal prosecution, to enable law enforcement agencies to adopt a graded response in tackling the trade in the range of psychoactive substances. The Bill does not criminalise simple possession of poppers and this will also be borne in mind by partners when enforcing the legislation.In consultation with the Department of Health and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), we will consider whether there is evidence to support the claims that ‘poppers’ have a beneficial health and relationship effect and, if so, whether it is sufficient to justify exempting the alkyl nitrites group (or individual substances in the group).Should we conclude that a case has been made to include alkyl nitrites in the list of exempted substances, we intend to complete this consideration in time to enable any such draft regulations to be laid before both Houses and approved before the summer recess.

Migrant Workers: ICT

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential for Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer visas to be used to replace UK workers with outsourced overseas workers in the IT industry.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Housing

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the delivery standards and criteria her Department sets for housing providers in the provision of housing to asylum seekers.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Clearsprings Group

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been accommodated by Clearsprings on behalf of her Department in (a) Cardiff, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each of the last six years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Decriminalisation

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to decriminalise drug use and encourage the implementation and enforcement of anti-discrimination and protective laws, based on human rights standards, to eliminate stigma, discrimination, social exclusion and violence against young people who inject drugs based on actual or presumed behaviours and HIV status.

Karen Bradley: The Government has no intention of decriminalising drugs in the UK. Decriminalisation would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities.The Government’s approach to drugs, based on our balanced 2010 Drug Strategy, remains clear. We must prevent drug use in our communities and support people dependent on drugs through treatment and recovery. At the same time, we have to stop the supply of illegal drugs and tackle the organised crime behind the drugs trade.There are promising signs our approach is working, with a downward trend in drug use over the last decade and more people recovering from dependency now than in 2009/10.

Refugees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees were referred to her Department by the UN High Commission for Refugees under (a) the Gateway Protection Programme, (b) the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme and (c) the Mandate Refugee Scheme in each year since 2009-10; and how many such refugees in each year and for each scheme her Department refused after carrying out checks.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police: Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made by the College of Policing in its review of the operation of Police Information Notices.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 28 January 2016



The College of Policing has completed its review of Police Information Notices and has consulted with key partners.The College Of Policing has produced draft guidance and this will be included in the Authorised Professional Practice on Stalking and Harassment due to be published in the Spring.

Refugees: Syria

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities have contacted their local regional strategic migration partnerships to provide support for Syrian refugees.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 28 January 2016



We do not routinely disclose which local authorities participate in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.Participation in this scheme is voluntary and it is often the case that local authorities do not wish to have their participation published. The relocation of refugees can be a sensitive issue for some local areas who have agreed to participate. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.

Wales Office

Tata Steel: Wales

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on Tata Steel's recent announcement on job losses.

Stephen Crabb: The recent announcement of job losses at Port Talbot is another hammer blow to the industry and the wider South Wales economy.I have had regular contact with the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport since the announcement. With the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise, I have offered the UK Government’s full commitment to working collaboratively with the Welsh Government.My Ministerial colleague, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, has also accepted an invitation from the Welsh Government to be part of a High Level Task Force charged with supporting everyone affected by the job losses at Port Talbot.Our immediate priority is to support those who have suffered job losses and to ensure the industry has a sustainable future in Wales.

HM Treasury

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Richard Fuller: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to review the amount of compensation for losses paid to Equitable Life policy holders over the course of the current Parliament.

Harriett Baldwin: There are no plans to review the payments made by the Equitable Life Payment Scheme. The Scheme closed to new claims on 31st December 2015. However, the annual payments to With-Profits Annuitants will continue unaffected for the duration of their annuity.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

John Pugh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to increase the compensation available to Equitable Life pensioners.

Harriett Baldwin: There are no plans to review the payments made by the Equitable Life Payment Scheme. The Scheme closed to new claims on 31st December 2015. However, the annual payments to With-Profits annuitants will continue unaffected for the duration of their annuity.

Arts: Tax Allowances

Julian Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's tax reliefs on (a) the film and (b) other creative industries.

Mr David Gauke: Creative sector tax reliefs play an important role in stimulating investment in an industry that employs 1.8 million people and provides world-class cultural experiences to many more.HM Revenue and Customs published official statistics in December 2015 showing that a record 220 films claimed the film tax credit in 2014-15, with the relief supporting over £1bn worth of UK expenditure in the sector.Since the reliefs came into force in 2013-14, the high-end TV tax relief has supported almost £600m of expenditure in the industry and the animation tax relief has supported £68 million. Official statistics for the creative sector tax reliefs can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-statistics-december-2015

Manufacturing Industries: Non-domestic Rates

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will remove plant and machinery from business rate calculations.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is considering the treatment of plant and machinery as part of the business rates review in England. The review will be fiscally neutral and will report at Budget 2016. Business rates are devolved in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Redundancy Pay

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of exit payments in the (a) private sector and (b) public sector in the last 20 years.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the public sector exit payments cap on the ability of public sector employees to reduce the number of public sector workers through voluntary redundancy.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the average levels of exit payments in the (a) public sector and (b) private sector.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for which departments and organisations which receive public funding it is his policy that exit payment caps for public sector workers as proposed in the Enterprise Bill should not apply.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many responses his Department received to the consultation on the exit payments cap for public sector workers; and how long his Department took to analyse and respond to those responses.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has undertaken an impact assessment under section 149 of the Equalities Act 2010 of the Government's proposals relating to exit payments for public sector workers in respect of older workers.

Greg Hands: The Government consulted on implementing a public sector exit payment cap in July 2015. The Government response to this consultation was published on 16 September 2015. This response provides detail on the potential impacts of the cap and sets out which organisations the Government intends to capture within scope of the public sector exit payment cap. The final policy is in line with the Government’s manifesto commitment to end tax payer funded six figure payoffs for public sector workers.The consultation ran from 31 July to 27 August 2015. Over 4000 responses were received. These representations were considered during and after the consultation to inform the Government response that was published on 16 September 2015.The response document can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/464367/Public_sector_exit_payments_response.pdfAn impact analysis was published within the exit payment cap consultation document which respondents had an opportunity to comment on. Further, the Government worked with departments and took into account consultation responses received after the official deadline to inform the impact of a public sector exit payment cap set at £95,000 in different sectors and for different categories of workers. This assessment gave due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty.The exit payment cap is intended to capture organisations classified as public sector by the Office for National Statistics with few exceptions as identified in the consultation response.The Government does not expect the cap to have a widespread impact on the take-up of voluntary redundancy.At the 2015 Spending Review the Government announced it will consult on further cross public sector action on exit payment terms. This consultation will provide a good opportunity to collect further information on the trends in the level of exit payments between the private and public sector.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to reduce the number of people receiving inaccurate correspondence on the status of their tax return.

Mr David Gauke: Each year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uses the information it holds on its customers to remove around 400,000 customers from the Self-Assessment (SA) process. Customers will receive a letter confirming they no longer need to complete an SA tax return.HMRC contacts all customers who need to complete an SA tax return and offers support and advice on how to do this successfully to avoid penalties. Where a customer wishes to check whether an SA tax return is due they can check using the tool provided at www.gov.uk/check-if-you-need-a-tax-return. Tax returns issued will subsequently be withdrawn if a customer contacts HMRC to advise that their circumstances have changed and that a SA tax return is no longer required.If an SA tax return has not been filed within 6 weeks of the filing and payment deadlines, customers will receive a reminder either through email or SMS.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has taken to reduce the number of unnecessary customer calls to HMRC telephone lines.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs has deployed a Demand Management approach since 2010 to reduce unnecessary telephony demand. This approach includes reengineering business processes, improving forms and guidance to provide greater clarity for customers and introducing a “Once and Done” approach on calls, where possible.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr David Crausby: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was to resolve enquiries from hon. Members about tax credit cases; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce that time.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Tax Credit Office aims to prioritise and respond to representations from hon. Members as soon as possible. HMRC do not routinely record and collate performance against specific timescales for such representations.

National Insurance Contributions

Andrew Griffiths: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) potential merits and (b) cost to the public purse of extending the class 1 secondary national insurance contributions exemption for employees aged under 21 to include employees aged under 25.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is determined to support young people into work. The existing Employer NICs relief for under 21 year olds recognises that the problem of youth unemployment is most acute for those at the youngest end of the scale. The Employer NICs relief for apprentices under 25 (to be introduced this April) focuses resources on those seeking to gain skills and experience through an apprenticeship to improve their employment prospects.HM Revenue and Customs does not routinely estimate the cost of extending tax or NICs reliefs, so an accurate assessment of the cost of extending the Employer NICs relief to all under 25s is not available. However, the Government keeps all taxes and tax reliefs under review as a matter of course. Any decision on extending these existing NICs reliefs would depend on whether this would offer value for money in helping young people find and stay in work.

Banks: Computer Software

Wes Streeting: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of 19 January 2016, Official Report, column 1254, what the nature and scope is of the Financial Conduct Authority's investigation into Symphony interbank communications software.

Wes Streeting: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department has made to the Financial Conduct Authority on Symphony interbank communications software.

Harriett Baldwin: The FCA does not directly regulate the activities of Symphony Communication Services LLC or any other electronic messaging platform. However, firms that are authorised by the FCA who use messaging services such as Symphony are subject to a range of applicable requirements, including the recording and storage of such tapes and electronic communications. The FCA is monitoring developments in relation to the use of Symphony by FCA-regulated firms.The FCA is also in touch with regulated firms to monitor how they are using new technology in this area, and any risks that may exist.Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority to discuss relevant regulatory issues.As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 16853, what responsibilities were allocated to the additional staff added to national minimum wage enforcement teams in 2015-16.

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding has been allocated for national minimum wage enforcement activity within his Department from 2015-16.

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 16853, how the additional £4 million allocated for national minimum wage enforcement was allocated within national minimum wage enforcement activity.

Greg Hands: The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker. A further increase in penalties will come into force in April 2016 and will increase the penalty percentage from 100% to 200% of the underpayments owed to each worker, up to the existing maximum.The extra funding was allocated in two tranches. The first of £3 million has been used by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to recruit additional staff primarily into front line compliance posts to increase the scope and coverage of interventions aimed at identifying employers who do not pay the minimum wage.The second tranche of £1 million has been used to appoint staff into new roles specifically geared to promoting compliance with the National Minimum Wage, through education and support for employers, helping workers to understand their rights, and tackling serious non-compliance where deliberate behaviour is suspected.Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing National Minimum Wage, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation. However, HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond those identified in UIN 16853.HMRC does not breakdown the overall budget allocated into specific activities. For details of the overall budget in 2015/16, I refer the honourable member back to the answer provided at UIN 16853. Funding allocations for 2016/17 onwards have yet to be confirmed.

Mortgages

Hilary Benn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 21322, what advice has been issued to UK banks and building societies offering second charge mortgages in territory outside the UK.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is not aware of any formal advice that has been issued to banks or building societies offering second charge mortgages in territories outside the UK.

Investment Income: Taxation

Peter Kyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on micro-businesses of changes included in the Finance Bill in relation to dividend taxation.

Peter Kyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish monitoring his Department undertook on the impact on micro-businesses of the changes to dividend taxation included in the Finance Bill.

Mr David Gauke: At Summer Budget 2015, the Chancellor announced that the dividend tax credit will be replaced by a new £5,000 tax-free dividend allowance from April 2016, and that dividend tax rates would be amended from the same date.A tax information and impact note setting out expected impacts was published on 9 December. This is available to view at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-changes-to-dividend-taxation/income-tax-changes-to-dividend-taxation.

Banks: Regulation

Wes Streeting: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made representations to the Bank of England regarding the regulation of any specific bank since May 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: The Prudential Regulation Authority is a subsidiary of the Bank of England and operationally independent of Government.Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Prudential Regulation Authority to discuss relevant regulatory issues.As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Debt Collection

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by when he expects to publish the outcome of HM Treasury's consultation on the recommendation made in the review by Christine Farnish of the Money Advice Service, published in March 2015, for a breathing space mechanism to protect vulnerable customers making debt repayments.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is committed to exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the range of formal and informal debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Officials in HM Treasury and the Insolvency Service have been asked to discuss this issue with stakeholders with a view to identifying possible options and have begun work on this review.

Landfill Communities Fund

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from environmental bodies about the future of the Landfill Communities Fund.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.73 of his Department's publication, Reform of the Landfill Communities Fund: Summary of Responses, for what reasons his Department intends to make it mandatory for landfill operators to provide 10 per cent match funding for community projects funded through the Landfill Communities Fund rather than adopting other measures recommended by respondents to the consultation.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Landfill Operators contributed to the Landfill Communities Fund in financial year (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 to date.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many respondents to his Department's consultation, Reform of the Landfill Communities Fund, suggested making it mandatory for Landfill Operators to provide the 10 per cent match funding usually provided by a contributing third party.

Damian Hinds: The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is a tax credit scheme into which landfill operators contribute voluntarily. Since its introduction in 1996, the LCF has contributed over £1.4bn to community projects in areas affected by a local landfill site. However, as the LCF is a tax credit scheme, it reduces the government’s tax revenues. We therefore have an ongoing responsibility to seek value for money for the taxpayer.Autumn Statement 2015 announced changes to the Landfill Communities Fund. These changes were set out following consultation by HMRC on reforms to the fund. A summary of consultation responses, including those raising concerns about the Contributory Third Party (CTP) payment, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reform-of-the-landfill-communities-fundThe government has received representations on the LCF reforms. We are taking views into consideration and our priority is to ensure that the Fund operates effectively and encourages money to be spent in the communities that need it.Information on the number of landfill operators contributing to the LCF is not held in the form requested. However, ENTRUST, the fund regulator, has published data on contributions to environmental bodies. This is available at:http://www.entrust.org.uk/landfill-community-fund/statistics/

Scotland Office

Asylum

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2016 to Question 22198, on asylum, what the (a) dates, (b) minutes and (c) outcomes were of the discussions referred to in that answer.

David Mundell: The West Coast main line was closed between Glasgow and Carlisle on 31 December 2015. Since then, Ministers in the Scotland Office and the Department for Transport have sought to assure themselves that all appropriate steps are being taken to repair Lamington Viaduct and to mitigate the impact of the closure of the line for rail users.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Carbon Sequestration: Peterhead

Harry Harpham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the cost to the public purse was of developing proposals for a new carbon capture and storage project at Peterhead.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government continues to view CCS as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors and we are engaging closely with the Peterhead developer and wider CCS industry. The Department has paid £28.5 million between 2011/12 and November 2015 on developing proposals for a new carbon capture and storage project at Peterhead. This included the investment in Front End Engineering and Design work to determine the cost and feasibility of the project, independent professional technical, legal, financial and commercial advice and civil service staff.

Carbon Sequestration: Yorkshire and the Humber

Harry Harpham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the cost to the public purse was of developing proposals for a new carbon capture and storage project in Yorkshire.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government continues to view CCS as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors and we are engaging closely with the White Rose developer and wider CCS industry. The Department has paid around £31 million between 2011/12 and November 2015 on developing proposals for the White Rose carbon capture and storage project in Yorkshire. This included the investment in Front End Engineering and Design to determine the cost and feasibility of the project, independent professional technical, legal, financial and commercial advice and civil service staff.

Fracking

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 21 January 2016



Research has shown that the carbon footprint of shale gas extraction and use is likely to be comparable to conventional sources of gas and lower than the carbon footprint of imported Liquefied Natural Gas. [1]In order to make sure emissions are minimised, the Environment Agency has made ‘Green Completions’ to capture emissions from operations a requirement for Environmental Permits for shale gas production.Additionally, operators must develop a Waste Management Plan setting out how waste gases including fugitive methane emissions will be minimised, managed and monitored, which is submitted to the Environment Agency with permit applications. The Environment Agency will also consider an enclosed flare to provide the best environmental performance for treatment of waste gases from onshore oil and gas operations during exploration.We have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas and we insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection.[1] Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf

Carbon Sequestration

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress has been made on the White Rose Carbon Capture and Storage Project; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government confirmed as part of the 2015 Spending Review that the £1 billion ring-fenced capital budget for the CCS Competition was no longer available.Following confirmation from both bidders that they will not proceed with their respective projects in the absence of Government capital funding support, Government has taken the decision to close the CCS Competition.

Climate Change Convention: Paris

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the cost per household of implementing measures agreed at the Paris Climate Conference.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK’s contribution to the Paris Agreement will be determined by our commitments to meeting EU climate and energy targets, and by the UK’s own domestic framework, comprising a 2050 emissions reduction target of at least 80% on 1990 base year levels and a series of five-year carbon budgets, as established by the Climate Change Act 2008.The level of the Fifth Carbon Budget covering the period 2028-2032 is required to be set in law by the end of June this year. When making the decision on the level, the Government is required to take account of a number of factors including social circumstances, and in particular the likely impact of the decision on fuel poverty. This decision will be accompanied by an impact assessment which will set out illustrative costs and benefits of meeting different budget levels, recognising that the actions to meet the budget will be uncertain at that stage. In addition, our new emission reduction plan is due to be published towards the end of this year.

Environment Protection: Investment

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effects of (a) termination of the Green Deal, (b) changes to tax exemptions for low carbon vehicles, (c) changes in support for renewable energy technology and (d) privatisation of the Green Investment Bank on levels of private sector investment in green and renewable products.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to achieving an 80% reduction in UK emissions by 2050. But we need to cut carbon whilst also cutting costs to the consumer and to the taxpayer.The Green Deal market framework has not been affected by the decision not to invest further public funds into the Green Deal Finance Company. Therefore, subject to Green Deal providers sourcing their own finance streams or a new finance provider entering the market, Green Deal providers may still write Green Deal plans and offer Green Deal finance to consumers.The changes to tax exemptions for low carbon cars in the Company Car Taxation system came into force in 2015-16. To date we have not seen any effect in take up of such vehicles as a result of these tax changes.Our assessment of the impact of the changes we are making to renewable electricity support are set out in the impact assessment published alongside each of the changes to renewables support which are available on www.gov.uk/decc.Lastly, the privatisation of the GIB will allow the company to increase its investments in the UK green economy. It will be able to raise more capital free from being on the Government balance sheet. It will also be free from State Aid restrictions on the green investments it can make.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the Government's response to the impact assessment of reductions to feed-in tariffs to be published.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government published an impact assessment for the feed-in tariff review on 17 December 2015, alongside the Government response to the consultation on this review.The impact assessment is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf

Fossil Fuels: Investment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the level of investment in UK oil and gas production until May 2020.

Andrea Leadsom: The latest published projections of development capital expenditure by the UK upstream oil and gas industry are those in Supplementary Table 2.1 to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s June 2015 Fiscal Sustainability Report:http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/fsr/fiscal-sustainability-report-june-2015/.This had annual investment (in £ billion) at the following levels:201620172018201920208.36.65.94.94.2Updated projections informed by recently-received information from operators should be published alongside the Economic and Fiscal Outlook which will accompany the forthcoming Budget.

Energy: Meters

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to address the practice of energy companies charging for the installation of prepayment meters in cases where customers are already in debt to those energy companies.

Andrea Leadsom: The vast majority of suppliers offering prepayment meters as a means to repay an energy debt do not charge when consumers agree to the installation, including all of the 6 major suppliers. As of December 2015, Ofgem estimated that only 1% of consumers in debt face a charge.Ofgem is currently consulting on the use of the warrant process used by suppliers to install prepayment meters for non-payment of energy, which includes the level of charges and how suppliers engage with consumers on energy debt. The consultation, which is available on Ofgem’s website, closes on 25 February 2016:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/proposals-improve-outcomes-prepayment-customers

Cabinet Office

Voluntary Work: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the annual cost of providing places on the National Citizen Service for all children aged 16 and 17.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people participated in the National Citizen Service in 2015.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what forecast he has made of the number of young people that will participate in the National Citizen Service in each year from 2015 to 2020.

Mr Rob Wilson: Over 200,000 young people have benefitted from the National Citizen Service (NCS) since 2011. In 2014 57,789 young people took part. The figure for 2015 will be made available after an independent evaluation later this year.The Prime Minister has announced the ambition to expand the programme to 60% of all 16 year olds by 2021 and this is the target we aim to deliver.The funding for NCS was announced in the autumn statement and spending review. More than £1billion has been committed to the expansion of NCS in this parliament.

Government Departments: Public Consultation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department issues on conducting public consultations during the summer recess.

Mr Oliver Letwin: Cabinet Office publishes Consultation Principles, which it expects all government departments to follow. They were most recently updated on 14 January in response to feedback from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee.Principle G includes the line:‘When the consultation spans all or part of a holiday period, consider how this may affect consultation and take appropriate mitigating action, such as prior discussion with key interested parties or extension of the consultation deadline beyond the holiday period’.The Principles also make clear that formal consultation should only form part of the engagement process and that departments should make use of new digital tools and consider whether an iterative approach is appropriate.The Principles can be found online on gov.uk and a copy can be found in the House of Commons Library.

Civil Servants: Job Satisfaction

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the public sector exit payments cap on morale in the Civil Service.

Matthew Hancock: The Civil Service has successfully changed the way it operates and become more efficient - it is now delivering far more, for less, than it did before 2010. The Government has delivered a range of policy changes over the last five years to modernise the Civil Service and save taxpayers money. During this time employee engagement rates have actually increased.

Cabinet Office: Directors

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the Deputy Director for Transparency is in his Department.

Matthew Hancock: All deputy directors have a responsibility for transparency policies whichreflects the breadth and importance of the agenda. An organogram of the Cabinet Office is available here: https://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office

Government Departments: Iron and Steel

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect that changes to procurement rules for Government contracts announced on 30 October 2015 are having on (a) the UK steel industry and (b) the contracts to British steelmakers have been awarded.

Matthew Hancock: We are monitoring take up of the new steel procurement instructions and departments will be required to report back on how they have applied them to their major projects involving steel.We will also carry out spot check investigations on a sample of projects through our Mystery Shopper service. This will give an indication of how the changes have impactedon both the UK steel industry and the number of contracts awarded to British steelmakers.The UK steel industry supports this approach.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unmarried civil servants had a deduction made from their civil service pensions in each of the last 10 years under the scheme to meet the costs of widow and widowers' pensions in the event of some scheme members marrying; and what the total value of those deductions was.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unmarried civil servants married after retirement from the civil service resulting in a subsequent claim for a widow or widower's pension from the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme in each of the last 10 years.

Matthew Hancock: No deduction has been made from Civil Service Pensionsof unmarried civil servants to meet the costs of widow and widowers' pensions in the event of some scheme members marrying.Information on the date of marriage is not held.

National Security Council: Meetings

Mr David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to Question 9748, on counter-terrorism, on what date the meeting of the most senior members of the National Security Council referred to in that Answer took place.

Mr Oliver Letwin: Senior members of the National Security Council meet frequently to discuss matters of national security but we do not disclose information about the detail of these internal proceedings and discussions.

Zero Hours Contracts: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed on a zero hours contract in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Zero Hour Contracts
(PDF Document, 204.17 KB)

Government: Debt Collection

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 21746, what estimate has been made of the value of the contract to provide Debt Market Integrator services; and what fee was paid by the TDX/Equifax partner for its contract in March 2015.

Matthew Hancock: The DMI establishment fee is commercially sensitive information. The expected value of the contract published in the DMI award notice in the Official Journal of the European Union was GBP £500,000,000.

Civil Servants: Re-employment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants made redundant have been hired back in each year from 2011.

Matthew Hancock: Data is not held centrally on the number of individuals who have been made redundant from the Civil Service and then rehired, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.Since 2010 we have introduced into the Civil Service Compensation arrangements new provisions to prevent windfall benefits to anyone made redundant and then hired back into the Civil Service. These did not previously exist.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

International Animal Welfare Ministerial Group

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11026, whether the Inter-Ministerial Group on International Animal Welfare has met; when that group's next meeting will be; and who will be chairing that group.

George Eustice: The IMG has yet to formally reconvene and therefor membership of the group is yet to be finalised. However, I have had discussions with Ministerial colleagues about reconvening the group.

Supermarkets: Farmers

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to support farmers in obtaining fair production contracts with supermarkets.

George Eustice: The Government introduced the Groceries Code Adjudicator so farmers receive fair contracting, adherence to the code, from supermarkets.We are also pursuing a host of measures, including better branding and labelling in supermarkets, to improve the stability of the industry and help farming businesses to become more resilient and take advantage of the growing demand for British food both at home and overseas.I have recently spoken to all the major supermarkets to encourage them to source more British produce, to promote British produce at point of sale and to consider greater use of aligned contracts linked to cost of production.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of vaccinations that have been administered in each region to prevent the spread of bovine TB in the last 12 months.

George Eustice: Submission of data from vaccination projects for 2015 is not yet complete and so final figures are not yet available for the last 12 months. These will be made available in due course.

Environment Agency: Public Appointments

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects a new Chair for the Environment Agency to be appointed.

George Eustice: Defra has appointed Emma Howard Boyd as Acting Chairman. She will lead the Board until a permanent Chairman is recruited in due course following an open competition.

Territorial Waters: Pollution

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by how much levels of pollution have changed in the UK territorial seas in the last five years.

George Eustice: Inputs into the marine environment of the six most hazardous polluting substances (cadmium, lindane, mercury, zinc, copper and lead) have fallen significantly over the last 25 years. In the five years to 2013 inputs of five of the substances have declined while mercury inputs were stable. These trends are reported in the UK’s Biodiversity Indicators, published this month.The volume of oil accidentally spilled varies widely from year to year, is generally small and of relatively minor significance, with no major spills in UK waters having occurred over the last five years.Assessments of contaminants in the recent UK Marine Strategy Part 3, published in December, have shown that most problems (i.e. where concentrations or biological effects parameters exceed assessment thresholds) are local in nature and close to the sources, particularly in industrialised estuaries and coasts, and largely caused by historic pollution.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at which locations in London air pollution levels in 2014 exceeded the EU limit on (a) NO2, (b) Ozone, (c) PM10 particles and (d) PM2.5 particles.

Rory Stewart: 9 of the 17 Defra Air Quality monitoring sites in London measured an exceedance of EU limits for NO2 in London during 2014: Camden Kerbside, Haringey Roadside, London Bloomsbury, London Hillingdon, London Marylebone Road, London Westminster, Southwark A2 Old Kent Road and Tower Hamlets Roadside. In addition to the measured exceedances, there were also a number of modelled exceedances of the EU limit for NO2 in London in 2014.None of the 17 Defra Air Quality monitoring sites in London exceeded the EU Target Value for Ozone (O3), but 5 of the 17 measured an exceedance of the EU long term objective during 2014: London Haringey, Priory Park South, London Hillingdon, London North Kensington, London Teddington. In addition to the measured exceedances, there were also modelled exceedances of the EU long term objective for O3 in London in 2014.The exact locations of the monitoring sites may be found here: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/find-sitesThere were no exceedances of EU limits for PM10 particles or PM2.5 particles in London in 2014.

Floods: Agriculture

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 21517, whether funding for the Farming Recovery Fund has been increased since its extension to farmers affected by recent flooding in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

George Eustice: We will pay out on all eligible claims from farmers. Extending the Farming Recovery Fund to eligible farmers in Lancashire and Yorkshire impacted by Storm Eva will therefore increase the total amount that will be paid out from the fund.

Department of Health

HIV Infection: Medical Treatments

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted or commissioned on the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis in preventing HIV infection in men who have sex with men.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England part funded the PROUD study that examined the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis in preventing HIV infection in men who have sex with men. The results of the study were published in September 2015.

Department of Health: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions his Department has been notified by external consultants or other third parties of breaches by employees or subcontractors of those consultants of document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials in each of the last two years.

Jane Ellison: The Department’s Security and Business Continuity team does not collect this information centrally and therefore does not hold this information.The Department includes terms and conditions in its contracts that require suppliers to inform us of any such breaches that may have taken place. Any occurrences would have to be reported directly to all local contract owners and to identify these would require trawling across all the Department’s branches that would incur a disproportionate cost.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Dental Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many admissions there were to accident and emergency departments of children requiring tooth extraction in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the men who have sex with men population is aware of the availability of the HPV vaccination at sexual health clinics.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when HPV vaccinations are planned to be available at sexual health clinics to men who have sex with men.

Jane Ellison: In November 2015, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters, advised that a targeted human papilloma virus vaccination programme should be undertaken for men who have sex with men up to 45 years of age who attend genitourinary medicine and HIV clinics. They noted that this should be subject to procurement of the vaccine and delivery of the programme at a cost-effective price.The Department is considering the JCVI’s advice and will confirm its plans in due course.

Obesity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to reduce levels of obesity.

Jane Ellison: Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will be launching our childhood obesity strategy shortly. It will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will also set out what more can be done by all sides.

Bell's Palsy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with Bell's Palsy in each of the last five years; and how many such people were (a) women and (b) men aged (i) under 18, (ii) between 18 and 45, (iii) between 45 and 65 and (iv) over 65.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) for Bell’s palsy estimates that the annual incidence of the condition in the United Kingdom is one in 5,000 people and that it most commonly occurs in people aged between 15 and 60 years. The CKS, which is an online resource, can be viewed at the following link:http://cks.nice.org.uk/bells-palsy#!topicsummary

Passive Smoking: Menopause

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on whether there may be a connection between passive smoking and the menopause.

Jane Ellison: The Department’s Tobacco Control team has not held any discussions with the Royal College of Nursing on the connection between passive smoking and the menopause.The Department does, however, regularly review the impacts of smoking as part of its tobacco control strategy.

Social Networking: Self-harm

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential link between social media and self-harm among young people.

Alistair Burt: We recognise the potential influence of online platforms, including social media, on both promoting self-harm and supporting people who have or may be at risk of self-harm.There is a link between bullying including cyberbullying and self-harm and the Department for Education produced guidance in October 2014, advising schools about preventing bullying. This guidance refers to new powers under the Education Act 2011 for teachers to search pupils, to confiscate IT equipment including mobile phones and to destroy offensive or inappropriate images.The Government continues to provide financial support for the Multi-Centre Study of Self-Harm in England, which monitors trends in self-harm and recognises the potential influence of online platforms on self-harming in young people.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport expects social media companies to have robust processes in place to address inappropriate and abusive content on their sites. This includes having clear reporting channels, acting promptly to assess reports, and removing content which does not comply with their acceptable use policies or terms and conditions. Social media can also help signpost vulnerable users to helpful sources of information and support.Recently, Ofcom led a social media working group on behalf of UK Council for Child Internet Safety to develop best practice guidance to encourage responsible practice from industry, and ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way. This guidance was delivered on 22 December 2015 and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-council-for-child-internet-safety-ukccisThe Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research has also funded ongoing research by the Samaritans and Bristol University into the influence on online platforms on suicidal behaviour.

Clinical Trials

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures and regulations are in place to ensure that clinical drug tests are low-risk and safe.

George Freeman: Clinical trials of medicinal products in the United Kingdom are strictly regulated by European Union and UK legislation in order to ensure that the studies achieve their scientific targets while safeguarding the trial participants. Before any trial of a new medicine is initiated in humans, the medicinal product will have undergone extensive non-clinical testing, both in the laboratory and in animals as appropriate. The organisation responsible for proposing the trial (the Sponsor) will submit a Clinical Trial Authorisation application that will be reviewed by both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and a research ethics committee.The MHRA assesses the safety and scientific value of the trial. A team of assessors will review the pharmaceutical quality of the medicinal product, the supporting data from pre-clinical testing and the details of the trial design and methodology, along with all available clinical data. The research ethics committee will ensure that the participant has been fully informed of all the necessary information about the trial, including information on potential risks and side effects.All Phase I trials in healthy volunteers are assessed taking into account European guidelines on strategies to identify and mitigate risks for first in human (FIH) trials. In the UK, trials that are identified as being higher risk are referred by the MHRA to an Expert Advisory Group of the Commission on Human Medicines for advice.The MHRA has instituted a Phase I accreditation scheme for organisations conducting phase I trials, in particular for those conducting FIH trials. MHRA Inspectors will grant Phase I accreditation only to those research units that exceed the basic regulatory Good Clinical Practice standards by having additional procedures that include the highest standards for avoiding harm to trial subjects and for handling any medical emergencies.

Autism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that pharmacists are trained to understand autism.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people who receive a diagnosis of autism can access appropriate post-diagnostic interventions.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that health visitors are trained to recognise autism and make appropriate referrals.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address the mental health needs of people with autism.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all GPs are trained in awareness of the diagnostic pathway for people seeking a diagnosis of autism.

Alistair Burt: In 2015, new statutory guidance building on the 2010 Autism Strategy, and the 2014 Think Autism update, set out expectations for local authorities and the National Health Service in relation to autism training. It is the responsibility for the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, to ensure newly qualified pharmacists and health visitors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. The Department has worked the Royal College of Nursing, and Skills for Health and Skills for Care, to develop autism training material. Health Education England is also working with the Royal Colleges and other stakeholders to increase awareness and knowledge of autism for NHS health professionals.The Department has also provided financial support to the Royal College of General Practitioners’ clinical priorities programme on autism which is undertaking practical work on autism awareness and training for general practitioners (GPs). GPs should be aware of what the local arrangements are for making referrals for autism diagnosis and how to access appropriate post-diagnostic interventions.NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to identify and share good practice in accessing timely autism diagnosis and post diagnostic support. NHS England with support from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services is to visit a selection of areas to talk to CCGs and local authorities about their Autism Diagnostic Care Pathways. A report on the work will be completed by the end of April 2016.We know that people with autism can experience common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as other mental illnesses. Over £400 million has been invested in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies to ensure access to talking therapies for those who need them, including those with autism.

Patients: Safety

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on safeguards in hospitals for patients who are heavily medicated while they eat.

Ben Gummer: It is for health and social care providers to develop local nutrition and hydration policies and there are a number of best practice resources and guidelines available to help providers do this.Nursing staff understand the importance of proper nutrition and will follow guidelines in assessing patients for their ability to swallow safely. From this they can make judgements about a patient’s capability to eat and drink safely and adequately, which will include taking into account whether they are heavily medicated or not.The National Patient Safety Agency and the Royal College of Nursing published a series of factsheets in 2009, setting out the key characteristics of good nutritional care in healthcare environments.http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59865It includes the Council of Europe 10 key characteristics of good nutritional care in hospitals, which recommends that all patients are screened on admission to identify the patients who are malnourished or at risk of becoming malnourished; all patients are re-screened weekly; and all patients have a care plan which identifies their nutritional care needs and how they are to be met.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality standard for nutrition support in adultswww.nice.org.uk/Guidance/QS24defines clinical best practice for adults in hospital and the community who are at risk of malnutrition. And NICE Nutrition support in adults: Oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutritionwww.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32offers best practice advice to help healthcare professionals correctly identify people in hospital and the community who need nutrition support, and enable them to choose and deliver the most appropriate nutrition support at the most appropriate time.

Autism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent bleach and other ineffective treatments advertised as miracle cures being used to treat autism.

Alistair Burt: The Department is aware of the development of sodium chlorite being marketed as Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) as a cure for autism. MMS is not a cure for autism.The Food Standards Agency has issued advice previously, first in 2010, that MMS is not safe and should not be sold as a supplement. Since then it has been working with local authorities across the country to share knowledge, and to investigate and prevent the sale of MMS and similar products.

Food: Hygiene

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to improve access to food hygiene score information in England.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for the Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme. The FSA is currently collecting evidence on the impact of the mandatory display of food hygiene ratings at food outlets in Wales. The Government will consider this evidence carefully once it is available. In the meantime, the FSA will continue working with its local authority partners to encourage businesses to voluntarily display their ratings and to promote the scheme to consumers.Ratings are published on the FSA website (and via phone apps), and there is open access to the data.

Muscular Dystrophy

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist care for people with muscular dystrophy.

Jane Ellison: Through the Mandate we have asked NHS England to make measurable progress towards making our health service among the best in Europe at supporting people with long-term conditions such as muscular dystrophy, to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive.NHS England commissions specialised neurological services at a national level, including for patients with muscular dystrophy. The neurosciences service specifications set out that patients with neuromuscular conditions, such as muscular dystrophy should have access to, including a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to will assess, diagnose and provide support. The MDT team will include neuromuscular consultants, neuromuscular physiotherapists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and other care professionals. One of the key service outcomes of the specification is that all patients with long-term neurological conditions have an individualised care plan.

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to the economy and (b) number of deaths attributable to antimicrobial resistance in the last 12 months for which figures are available; whether he has made such estimates for future years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: A broad estimate of the cost of antimicrobial resistance to the National Health Service is £180 million per annum.Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. In the longer term, a forecast of the global economic costs and deaths attributable to antimicrobial resistance is available from the independent review on antimicrobial resistance led by Lord O'Neill of Gatley. His review estimates that drug-resistant infections could kill an extra 10 million people globally every year by 2050, and have a cumulative cost to the world of around $100 trillion in lost output.The United Kingdom is taking the lead in addressing antimicrobial resistance globally, investing £265 million in the Fleming Fund to strengthen surveillance of drug resistance and laboratory capacity in developing countries.

Learning Disability: Death

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the age at which the death of people with learning disabilities is classified as premature has been set at 60 in the draft NHS Outcomes Framework.

Alistair Burt: The Department worked with Public Health England (PHE) and the confidential inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities (CIPOLD) team at the Norah Fry Centre, University of Bristol to define the learning disability mortality indicator in the NHS Outcomes Framework. The placeholder indicator was set at age 60 based on the findings of the CIPOLD at the time which identified the mean age of death in people with learning disability as 60 years old.The Department, NHS England, PHE and the Norah Fry Centre are currently reviewing the definition of the indicator to establish if there is evidence to support it being redefined and to establish a robust and stable data source in order for the indicator to be reported and measured.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of alcohol misuse in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Figures of the cost to the National Health Service of alcohol misuse for each of the past five years is not available. The most recent estimate from 2014 is that alcohol costs the NHS around £3.5 billion per annum(1), just under half of which is due to alcohol related inpatient admissions to hospital.(1)Source: “Alcohol and drugs prevention, treatment and recovery: why invest?”, Public Health England, http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/why-invest-2014-alcohol-and-drugs.pdf

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on public health of rising levels of alcohol consumption in England.

Jane Ellison: There has been a reduction in overall consumption in recent years which is welcome, but there is no room for complacency. Harms such as liver disease remain much too high.To help people understand how to keep health risks from alcohol consumption low, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers published new low risk alcohol guidelines on 8 January 2016.

Cancer: Drugs

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20039, on cancer drugs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the draft impact assessment for NHS England's consultation on proposals for a new Cancer Drugs Fund; for what reasons NHS England has not published the draft impact assessment alongside its consultation on those proposals; what guidance his officials have given on whether draft impact assessments should accompany NHS England consultations; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that it will not complete its assessment of the impact of the proposals on the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) until the outcomes from the current consultation on the future of the CDF are known. The formal consultation, as well as the wider engagement activity in progress, will be critical in helping to understand the potential impacts of the proposed changes.The Better Regulation requirements, including the preparation of impact assessments, apply to the regulation of business. Where an impact assessment is required to accompany an NHS England consultation, the Department and NHS England work closely to prepare this.

Medical Examiners: Death Certificates

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12819, what progress he has made on introducing independent medical examiners to the death certification process.

Ben Gummer: We remain committed to the principle of medical examiners and will be setting out further information in due course.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister's press release, Prime Minister pledges a revolution in mental health treatment, published on 11 January 2016, whether the liaison psychiatry services in A&E departments funded by the announced £247 million will be expected to meet the standards of the Core Liaison Psychiatry services model as set out in guidance for commissioners of liaison mental health services to acute hospitals, published by the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health in February 2013.

Alistair Burt: As announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January, NHS England will invest £247 million over the next five years to develop acute hospital liaison mental health services so that services in at least half of England's acute hospitals are delivered in line with the 'Core 24' standard, as set out by the NHS South West Strategic Clinical Network. This standard describes services that are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can be found at the following link:http://mentalhealthpartnerships.com/resource/model-service-specifications-for-liaison-psychiatry-services/In 2015/16, NHS England asked all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to put in place service development and improvement plans for liaison mental health services in acute hospitals, and supported this with £30 million pump prime funding which set out the ambition to move services towards a ‘Core 24’ service standard.NHS England continues to work closely with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other stakeholders as this programme progresses.

Alcoholic Drinks

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to support the implementation of the UK Chief Medical Officer's proposed new alcohol guidelines, published in January 2016.

Jane Ellison: The guidelines are currently out for consultation. They are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-risks-from-alcohol-new-guidelinesWe will consider any next steps once we have feedback from the public on the guidelines.

Self-Harm: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22945, what steps he plans to take to tackle the increase in the number of people under 18 who have been admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm since 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Government is committed to delivering the transformation of children and young people’s mental health as outlined in Future in Mind. Local Transformation Plans, which NHS England has now assured, and the £30 million that was released in December 2015 for clinical commissioning groups to deliver their improved local offer, which must cover the whole spectrum of services for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, including prevention, early intervention and access as well as support for those who self-harm.In the Autumn Statement 2014 increased funding of £150 million over the course of this Parliament was announced to improve eating disorder services for children and young people with mental health problems in England, and any capacity freed up through this investment is to be redeployed to improve services for both crisis and people who self-harm.In relation to the increase of young people who have been admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm it is important to note that revised guidance was issued by the Health and Social Care Information Centre to National Health Service trusts to clarify the use of reporting codes from 1 April 2013, which may account for some of the increase in figures from that point onwards.

Mental Illness: Discrimination

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19556, on mental illness: discrimination, if he will provide (a) an update on the discussions with Time to Change, and its other funding partners, about the next phase of the programme and (b) the dates these discussions took place.

Alistair Burt: Departmental officials have regular discussions with colleagues at the Time to Change programme and its funders to monitor progress with the programme and to manage the grant funding that is provided to Time to Change from the Department and other funders. We are currently discussing the next phase of the programme.

NHS: Drugs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill on reducing the length of time it takes to bring a new drug to market.

George Freeman: The purpose of the Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill is to promote access to innovative medical treatments. It is not specifically designed to reduce the length of time it takes to bring a new drug to market. To which end work is being done in parallel, notably through the Accelerated Access Review, which explores options to speed up access to innovative drugs, devices and diagnostics for National Health Service patients. Sir Hugh Taylor, the independent chair of the review will make his recommendations in the spring.

Gender Recognition

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to provide a standardised pathway service across gender reassignment services.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to implement the recommendation of Professor Steve Field in his report on how the NHS treats transgender people.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to develop polices on confirming the date a transgender person has begun living in role.

Jane Ellison: Specialised gender identity services are directly commissioned by NHS England.NHS England has considered the outcomes of the listening exercise conducted by Professor Field and has put in place a significant programme of work to improve healthcare services for transgender and non-binary people. A dedicated task group has been established to provide leadership and coordination of NHS England’s work to improve transgender and non-binary people’s experience of the National Health Service, and NHS England holds a Transgender Network event twice a year. Regular updates on NHS England’s work to improve gender identity services are given on NHS England’s website by the Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London) who chairs the task group.A Clinical Reference Group for Gender Identity Services has been established, comprising professional and lay experts. This group makes recommendations to NHS England on clinical matters. Issues around the standardisation of pathways across gender identity services and clinical protocols are being considered as part of the current work to develop a service specification that, it is proposed, will describe how NHS England will commission these services in the future. The process for developing a proposed service specification has included a period of public consultation.

Junior Doctors: Industrial Disputes

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22953, on which dates and for how long on each such date ACAS meetings took place between 23 December 2015 and 4 January 2016.

Ben Gummer: Following the agreement under the auspices of ACAS on 30 November, the Department and NHS Employers held negotiations with the British Medical Association (BMA) including meetings on 23 December 2015 and 4 January 2016. On 23 December the meeting started at 10.30 am finishing at 4 pm. On 4 January the meeting started at 10.30 am but broke at 10.45 am when the BMA withdrew to consider the offer but then never returned. The meeting was intended to continue until 3pm.On the same day the BMA announced that, contrary to the understanding of the management side negotiators, they did not feel that enough progress had been made and announced further dates for industrial action in January and February.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will amend its A&E waiting times target to set a target time for patients to wait from their arrival at hospital to admission.

Jane Ellison: NHS England’s urgent and emergency care review is supporting the delivery of new ways of delivering urgent and emergency care to provide highly responsive, effective and personalised care as close to patients’ homes as possible and ensure people with more serious or life threatening emergency care needs are treated in centres with the very best expertise and facilities.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the National Institute for Health Research has invested in research into (a) lung cancer, (b) adult asthma, (c) pneumonia, (d) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (e) idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, (f) mesothelioma and (g) childhood wheezing and childhood respiratory infection in each of the last five years.

George Freeman: The information requested is not available. Spend on research funded directly by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research is categorised by Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories including ‘cancer’ and ‘respiratory’. There are no HRCS health sub-categories, such as for specific cancer sites or respiratory diseases.

National Clinical Directors

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the objectives for NHS England's National Clinical Directors post April 2016 will be agreed.

George Freeman: From 1 April 2016, objectives for the National Clinical Directors will be set according to the priority areas and major programmes, as set out in the Mandate and planning guidance. They will relate, where appropriate, to established programmes of service improvement.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21778, on genito-urinary medicine, what questions it is planned will be asked of local commissioners as part of Public Health England's survey of local commissioning arrangements for sexual health; when that survey is planned to be completed; and when he plans to make publicly available the results of that survey.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England, supported by the Association of Directors of Public Health, is undertaking a review of Sexual Health, Reproductive Health and HIV Commissioning services; the survey was first published on the 19 January 2016. The closing date for the survey is 8 February 2016. Results of the survey, including responses and analysis of the questions, will be published this summer.A range of tailored commissioning questions have been selected for local authorities, NHS England and clinical commissioning groups. Each survey is slightly adapted for its audience. The survey questions focus on 11 key areas; commissioning support structures, services commissioned, needs assessments, service specifications, access to services, tendering, changes to investment, tariffs and payments, outcomes and performance, resources and top challenges.

Zika Virus

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to ensure (a) pregnant women and (b) other people intending to visit South America and the Caribbean are aware of the risks posed by Zika virus.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) have been carefully monitoring the Zika virus outbreak in the Americas since it was first reported in Brazil during May 2015. When the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced a potential link between maternal Zika virus infection and microcephaly in December 2015, PHE and NaTHNaC published updated advice for travellers to South and Central America and the Caribbean, including specific advice for pregnant women. This advice continues to be updated regularly as more information becomes available.PHE has been and continues to liaise with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Association of British Neurologists and the Association of British Travel Agents who have published updates on their respective websites. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also updated its country travel advice pages with information about Zika virus.

NHS: Drugs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to hold NHS bodies accountable to the recommendations of the Accelerated Access Review.

George Freeman: The Accelerated Access Review, which was set up to look at speeding up access to innovative drugs including those for rare diseases, devices and diagnostics for National Health Service patients, has been making strong progress since it was first announced in November 2014. The review is independently chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor and has been engaging stakeholders extensively since the summer to gather evidence on the big questions the review is considering, and has developed a number of emerging solutions. Sir Hugh published his interim report of the review on 27 October 2015. The report is high-level, direction-setting and grounded in evidence gathered through the review’s stakeholder engagement to date. Included in the report were proposals for a National Innovation Partnership of key bodies in the innovation pathway who would be party to a Concordat committing them to the ambitions set out in the review. The review has used a second phase of engagement to work closely with industry stakeholders, Government, the NHS and arm’s length bodies on these and other proposals set out in the interim report. In April 2016 the review will conclude with Sir Hugh making his final recommendations to Government. The Department will review these recommendations and consider how best to respond.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister: World Economic Forum

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he visited the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2016, in his official capacity.

Mr David Cameron: Details of Ministerial overseas travel is published quarterly and is available on the gov.uk website.

Syria: Military Intervention

Mr David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans to commission any review of the drone strike against Reyaad Khan on 21 August 2015 aside from the review being undertaken by the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Ms West) on 21 January 2016, UIN 22720.

Syria: Military Intervention

Catherine West: To ask the Prime Minister, whether any person or body has sought disclosure of documents relevant to the decision to target Reyaad Khan by drone strike in Syria on 21 August 2015 for purposes related to the inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee into that matter.

Catherine West: To ask the Prime Minister, whether any person or body has sought disclosure of legal advice given to him on the drone strike that killed Reyaad Khan for purposes related to the inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee on that matter.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr Anderson) on 25 January 2016, UIN 23433, 23438 and 23447.